CURCUMA 



curious subjects are almost unknown in American con- 

 servatories, but with the spread of private greenhouses 

 in America they will surelv be grown, at least in some 

 of the finer fanciers' collections. The following cultural 



CURRANT 



415 



standing high above the Ivs., and all the bracts have fls.. while 

 the others have a sterile portiun of tht- spike which is brightly 

 colored. In this specie'^ Tt (^ ^v^^'<■ i- -linrt and green and 



the fls. are prominent aii.lui i. ' . - i: M .i909.-C.jlu«(ra- 



Msicn.Hook. f., hasitsiipii. ■ • .^ pink and the fls. 



pale yellow. .Australia r. - , -. ajia. Wall., has 



a long jiii.l ^pli-uiliil sj.il,. I I , I ll.v changing from 



.M 



CUELED LEAVES 



i-tT bracts white, 

 .Mted Ivs., which. 

 .-How of the flow- 

 iilor. Himalayas. 



f the peach is a fungims disc 

 CURMfiKIA. All referred t 



• nomaln 



said that 



not in flower. In spring the tubers should be deprived 

 of last year's mold and repotted in a fresh mixture of 

 light loam, leaf -mold and turfy peat, the pots being well 

 drained, ,ind placed in a warm pit or frame in bottom 

 liiar. Water should be given sparingly until after the 

 l>hiTit lias made .some growth. The young roots are soft 

 ;iii'l siirciilent, and are likely to rot if the soil remains 

 wtt tor a longtime. After flowering, the leaves soon show 

 signs of decay, and water should be gradually with 

 drawn. During the resting period the soil should not 

 i)e allowed to get dust-dry, or the tubers are likeh to 

 shiiv.l. Til,- ]. hints are propagated by dividing the 

 tnii. r- iM -;.ii'i-. The flowers of Curcuma are large and 

 ;: ! il.ove, and with a 3-toothed lower lip 



|]i -I en 2 teeth, which are the tips of the 



riii'iM 1- I li' . uiiias are essen- 

 tiaily ti-o[iiral iiiauts, and the 



maintain sufficient heat while al- 

 lowing them enough air. 

 cordata. Wall. Lvs. 1 ft. long, 



nate. the same color on both sides. , 

 obliquely penninerved : bracts ii f'^ 

 a cylindical spike, the uppi r ^ 

 part forming a sterile portion 

 called a coma, which is a rich 

 violet, with a large blood-colored 

 spot : fls. yellow, with a pink 

 hood. Burma. B. M. 44.'!5. — This 

 is now referred to C. peliolata, 

 Roxb., but B. M. 5821 seems at 

 least horticulturally distinct, with 

 its rose-pink bracts. 



C. allnflbra. Thwaites, differs from 

 the others here described in having its 

 spikes sank below the lvs., instead of 



CURRANT. Four species of Currant are known to 

 American gardeners as fruit-bearing plants. Hibes 

 ritbrum (Fig. 610) includes all the red and white varie- 

 ties. This species is found wild both in Europe and 

 North America. Biles iiiyrum (Fig. 611), the European 

 black Currant, nltlion-h wrll known in .\in. ri.-a. has 

 never become iriiHt-iilly pnpnlrti-, alrlion-h it i^ much 

 prized by the fi.r. i-n |M,|,iihii /.•.'--, . I „-. , .. ,);i««i 



(Fig. 612), luoiv ^o,.„no,ll^ k,„.vn a~ /,'-'.> • ,o-,./„,„, i.s 



the wild blackCurraut uf Auirnr:,, It i- \ . rv -.imilar in 

 character to the European bhirl, Cunaiii, an.! is now 

 and then transferred to gardens. J,'''n.s ,'Hr,init (Fig. 

 613), oftener grown for ornanieiii. lia- al-o 1,,, n planted 



for fruit, having la-en sold fi- nm. I" II under 



various \ an^'lal nam. -. III!' 1II--I r. . ' la l.,ai ^ i]m- Cran- 

 dall. -. // i - - -...-only 



th.- lir- , ■ . . . . , It isa 



natn'.' ..'. .• - , ■ . Mal> -, a I~ pr..|!1; aill iirc is COn- 



stati-s aial. . \r, |.i uii<li-r irrigation or in specially favor- 

 alil«' location-, iiiak. s Iiut a partial success in the drier 



Both c-vpuricucu and the natural habitat of the plant 

 indicate that a cool, moist soil is best adapted to its 

 growth. Strong, moist loams, with a considerable ad- 

 mixture of clay, are preferable. Even a stiff clay, well 

 drained and in good tilth, will give good results. In 

 small supply for the home gtirlm. it iiia> Ii.- -rown in 

 almost any soil. A cool laiitlM in . \|H,^nrc oi- yiartial 

 shade is always desiraliha an. I tli. ncr.. niilax ..ruble the 

 soil, or the more nearly .l..i-> tin- !..iaTi..n ai.j.n.ach the 

 southern range of adaptation, the more important does 

 this become. For this reason western growers often find 

 the best results to come from planting in orchards, and 



