THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



Paper White Narcissus. 



them is altogether too small. You 

 will, however, be often asked: "How 

 shall I make my cactus flower?" etc , 

 and as the florist is supposed to know 

 how to cultivate every green thing 

 it is well to be able to give an intel- 

 ligent answer to the old lady whose 

 uncle sent her the cactus in question 

 many years ago from Mexico. 



Grotesque and peculiar as the 

 growth of many of the cacti is the 

 flowers of some, notably the night- 

 blooming cereus (C. grandiflorus) are 

 most gorgeous. It lasts but one short 

 night, but while open it is almost 

 unrivalled in its magnificent form, 

 lovely colors, the beauty of its sta- 

 mens and general appearance as well 

 as great fragrance. 



The mammillarias are the most use- 

 ful for bedding, making a beautiful 

 appearance in a bed of succulents. The 

 United States and Mexican species will 

 winter in a very cool place and need 

 little, if any, water in the dark winter 

 days. All of the tropical kinds will 

 winter very well in a night tempera- 

 ture of 55 degrees, and our summers 

 suit them well. 



They are about as easily grown in 

 a window as they are in the green- 

 house if proper care is used in water- 

 ing. Few if any insects trouble them. 

 Drainage is of first importance, and 

 neither in summer when they are 

 growing nor in winter when they are 

 at rest should the soil ever remain 

 saturated. So whatever the compost 

 be let the pot or tub be filled one- 

 third with broken crocks so that water 

 is sure to pass off quickly. In winter 

 when little growth is being made, es- 

 pecially if you are keeping the plants 

 cool, water sufficient to keep the soil 

 from getting dust dry will do. In April 



and May and through the summer, if 

 the soil is well drained, you can water 

 daily. 



The soil should be a good fibrous 

 loam to which add one-fourth of 

 coarse sand, and if that is not at hand 

 add some powdered bricks or old plas- 

 ter crumbled up. They need little pot 

 room and should not be shifted for 

 several seasons. All of them would 

 do well out of doors in summer time 

 if convenient to put them outside, but 

 look out for heavy rains; for those 

 that are in pots or tubs too much 

 water will rot the roots. 



Some of the genera are hardy in the 

 latitude of New York, but a very se- 

 vere winter will hurt them, and where 

 used for bedding it is better to lift 

 them and place in flats and winter in 

 a cold house or protected frame. 



The most valuable of the cacti 

 grown for their flowers, and which 

 makes a most showy winter flowering 

 plant is Epiphyllum truncatum and 

 its varieties. It does not make a good 

 plant on its own roots, not being 

 strong enough to stand erect, and 

 when a handsome little tree is seen 

 it has been grafted on the pereskia 

 stock. The flowers of the epiphyllum 

 are most numerous and its varieties 

 have colors varying from deep scarlet 

 to almost pure white. The type is a 

 deep rose color. 



Like all the cacti the epiphyllum 

 wants perfect drainage and must not 

 be over-potted. Keep cool in the late 

 fall months till they begin to show 

 flower when they should have more 

 heat till the flowers are fully expand- 

 ed and can then be removed to a cool 

 house which will prolong the life of 

 the flowers. 



The operation of grafting the epi- 



phyllum on the pereskia is very sim- 

 ple. Pieces ef the pereskia of any de- 

 sired length will root in moderately 

 moist sand. When potted off and es- 

 tablished in pots the top of the stem 

 is split for an inch or so, a branch of 

 the epiphyllum inserted, and nothing 

 more is to be done except to tie a 

 piece of raffia around the stem to 

 keep the graft in place, and this must 

 be removed as soon as adhesion takes 

 place, which will be soon if the plants 

 are kept in a warm moist house. 



CALADIUM. 



Most ornamental leaved hot-house 

 plants that are grown entirely for 

 their beautiful leaves, which are of 

 almost every hue. Although strictly 

 a tropical plant they are most useful 

 for decorations in the months of Au- 

 gust and September, after their 

 growth is fully matured. They lose 

 their beautiful leaves in the winter 

 and must rest till the following March 

 or April. 



There are several species, of which 

 we all remember argyrites as one of 

 the oldest and prettiest with its small 

 silvery marked leaf. The almost in- 

 numerable varieties that are now cul- 

 tivated are hybrids and surpass in 

 beauty the original species. The tu- 

 bers can be bought at a very reason- 

 able price from any good commercial 

 house. 



Their cultivation is easy. The tubers 

 can be placed in 3 or 4-inch pots in 

 March in a temperature of 60 to 65 

 degrees. A little bottom heat will 

 much help their starting. Water 

 sparingly till they begin to root. When 

 a few leaves are made they can be 

 shifted on. A 6-inch pot will grow 

 a fine specimen, but they are seen oc- 

 casionally of immense size in 12-inch 

 pots. Many will rememiber the dozen 

 or more plants exhibited at the New 

 York convention in 1888 from Woot- 

 ton, Philadelphia. They were grand. 



While growing they should have our 

 hottest houses, a little shade, a moist 

 atmosphere and abundance of water; 

 the pots should be drained so that 

 water passes freely through. Liberal 

 treatment as to size of pot is a re- 

 quirement. The soil can be a good 

 loam, rather coarse, with a fourth of 

 leaf-mould and rotten manure. 



In October they show signs of going 

 to rest and water should then be with- 

 held, but not all at once. Keep the 

 soil moderately moist till the leaves 

 have about gone, when you can lay 

 the pots on their sides under a bench 

 in a warm house. A good many fine 

 caladium bulbs are lost from; keeping 

 them too dry in the winter, and some- 

 times from wintering them too cold; 

 60 degrees is cold enough for them 

 and don't let the soil get dust dry; 

 look at them every two or three weeks 

 and if the soil is very dry give them 

 a watering. In starting, of course 

 you will shake off all the old soil. 

 There is no need of mentioning any of 

 the varieties, for their name is le- 

 gion, and all are beautiful. 



