CULTIVATION AND AX ALTS IS OF PLANTS. 



The Pelargoniums are natives of the Cape of Good Hope, and, like other floral impor- 

 tations from that region, are almost hardy enough to endure our severe northern winters. 

 Though they are easy of cultivation, it is hetter to secure good, tree-like plants, with thick 

 and stout young shoots. After the flowering season is over, ripen the young wood by 

 withholding the water supply; and in the fall prune back to the ripe wood, leaving only 

 two or three eyes to each branch, always preserving the symmetry of the bush. At a 

 window they need turning, as do all plants, to keep them from being one-sided. They 

 should be repotted once or more, according to circumstances, every season in very rich 

 earth, and given larger pots as the plants increase; and the larger and more bushy thev 

 are, the better and the more flowers they have. They are most acceptable for groupings 

 and combinations of all kinds, the richness and variety of coloring lending them a peculiar 

 attractiveness as house and conservatory plants, furnishing material for bouquets that can- 

 not be surpassed in richness and beauty. Though, like so many other favorite flowers, 

 they have probably passed beyond their period of greatest popularity, they can never fail 

 entirely to be cherished by the lovers of choice plants. 



The method of propagation is to take side-shoots about three joints in length, the 

 bottom joint being fully ripened, and cut clean and smooth underneath, while a portion 

 of each leaf should also be trimmed off. They can be wintered in a cellar, the roots being 

 kept nearly dry. 



1 





^EPER OMIJ^. 



^y UPERB among the Reseda family for the beautiful markings of the 

 to--b leaves, together with its magnificent habit of growth, the Peperomia 

 LkT ri I \^^) jV*^ is worthy of a place in every collection, whether within doors or out. 

 (^ ■^*^j^2//^;-Yf~"a&i It delights to gi-ow in a still, warm atmosphere with abundance of 

 C '/.jfA^. ^ V moisture, as in a Wardian case, or in some shady nook of the house or 

 ^^ #^^^ garden. There are several varieties that have attained a well-deserved 



^ popularity as ornamental plants because of their foliage. The)' are natives 

 of Brazil, and require semi-tropical surroundings, or a heat of at least sixty-five 

 degrees. A compost made of two parts peat, or bog-earth, one of loam and 

 one of sand, mixed with bits of charcoal or potsherds, forms a congenial soil for 

 their growth. The Peperomias are low-trailing plants, spreading out laterally 

 and striking fresh roots at each joint of their side-shoots. They can easily be propagated 

 by cuttings of these shoots, as they are already provided with rootlets. Combined with 

 Selaginellas, they produce a nice effect by the contrast of their broad, ovate lea\es with 

 the narrow, pinnate leaves of the other, an effect which is much enhanced by their pecu- 

 liar markings. In some these consist of beautiful, grayish-white streaks along the lines 

 of the nerves; in others these streaks are of a reddish tint; while in a few the streaks 

 are replaced by silvery blotches of irregular shapes. These plants should always be 

 watered with tepid rainwater, and by sprinkling or syringing only, and never by pouring, 

 cC as they insist upon a faithful imitation of the natural process. Ij 



