JO 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



on in a cold frame. During the follow- 

 ing winter keep in a cool house and 

 after danger of frost shift into larger 

 pots and plunge outside, where Ihey 

 must be well supplied with water. 

 They should be stopped as soon as 

 they grow in the spring to induce a 

 branching growth. Although their 

 propagation is not difficult, it will be 

 found by the majority of our florists 

 more profitable to import those plants 

 that are wanted for our spring sales, 

 as the price of well grown, compact 

 plants is very low and they endure the 

 passage without the slightest injury. 

 Any plants unsold after flowering 



ACALYPHA. 



A genus of tropical shrubs that are 

 grown entirely for the attractiveness 

 of the leaves excepting the very re- 

 cent introduction, A. Sanderi, which 

 has long, cylindrical, pendulous 

 flowers and is very ornamental. The 

 acalypha is grown largely in Europe 

 as an ornamental stove plant, but 

 with us its chief value is as a sum- 

 mer bedding plant for mixed borders 

 or sub-tropical beds. As most all the 

 species are from the tropical islands 

 of the Pacific, their requirements can 

 be judged accordingly. 



Acanthophoenix Crinita. 



should be cut back severely, shifted if 

 needed, and plunged outside during 

 summer. Few insects of any kind, 

 attack the acacia; plenty of water at 

 all times and syringing except when in 

 flower is what they want. 



A. pubescens is not adapted for pot 

 culture, but is the most graceful of all 

 the genus, and for cutting as sprays is 

 most valuable. It should be planted 

 out either as a standard or against a 

 pillar or wall. The most valuable spe- 

 cies for pot culture for the commercial 

 florist is armata, small globular flow- 

 ers which cover the whole plant; deal- 

 bata, strong grower with handsome 

 yellow racemes; Drummondi, a fine 

 compact plant with drooping, cylin- 

 drical lemon colored flowers. There 

 are hundreds of species, most all wor- 

 thy of a place in a conservatory, but 

 the "few species mentioned above are 

 the best for commercial use. 



The most economical way to pro- 

 duce plants for spring use is to lift a 

 few .old plants before any danger of 

 frost. These could be used for deco- 

 rating till January, then shorten back 

 the shoots, and if the plants are in a 

 strong heat they will soon give you 

 a number of young growths, which 

 foot readily in the sand in a good 

 bottom heat and by end of May, if 

 kept warm, will be just what you want 

 for planting out in spring. A well en- 

 riched loam is all they want. 



There are half a dozen or more de- 

 sirable species and varieties which 

 give a variety of bronze, brown, green, 

 red, orange and carmine, blotched and 

 variegated, making them very orna- 

 mental for summer gardening. 



ACANTHOPHOENIX. 



A. crinita is a remarkably handsome 

 warm house 'palm that has been in 

 cultivation for the past thirty years, 



but is still rather an uncommon spe- 

 cies. It has much the habit of growth 

 of an areca, the leaves being pinnate, 

 the leaflets long and drooping, and the 

 plant in general very graceful in ap- 

 pearance. 



One of the characteristics that dis- 

 tinguish acanthophoenix from areca is 

 very distinct in the species in question, 

 namely, the fact that the former is 

 abundantly supplied with long black- 

 ish spines all along the stems, while 

 no true areca bears spines, and in ad- 

 dition to this the under side of the 

 leaves of A. crinita is silvery white. 

 The latter peculiarity doubtless ac- 

 counted for an erroneous name under 

 which this palm was once introduced, 

 that is, Calamus dealbata. 



Being a native of Seychelles, and 

 probably of low moist land near the 

 coast of that island, we find that this 

 palm is best suited under stove cult- 

 ure, a night temperature of 70 degrees 

 and plenty of water being among the 

 chief essentials to its welfare, while a 

 rather light and well drained soil 

 seems to give the best results. 



In common with palms in general 

 that require warm treatment, there is 

 the ever-present probability of finding 

 some injurious insects on acantho- 

 phoenix, the most likely pests being 

 scale and, unless well syringed, also 

 red spider, but with proper attention 

 these pests may be kept down, and so 

 beautiful a palm is worthy of a little 

 extra attention in the line of cleanli- 

 ness. 



Seeds are the only means of propa- 

 gation for A. crinita, and as the seeds 

 of this species sometimes take over 

 two years to germinate, it is scarcely 

 probable that this palm will become 

 popular for trade purposes. W. H. T. 



ACER JAPONICUM (JAPAN MAPLE.) 



The Japan maples are now grown in 

 pots for conservatory decoration, and 

 many are sold and forced for Easter. 

 They are largely imported, but can 

 also be obtained from American nur- 

 series. Being perfectly hardy they 

 can be procured in the fall and stored 

 away in a cold-pit till they are wanted 

 to pot and force. Give them two 

 months in the house from time of pot- 

 ting till they are wanted in full leaf. 

 If forced rapidly they are more likely 

 to -wilt when exposed to cold wind or 

 dryness. 



While I have alluded to these in the 

 article on "Trees and Shrubs" I will 

 add here that they are most beautiful 

 little ornamentals for the lawn, either 

 in groups or singly. They proved dur- 

 ing the last unusually long, cold winter 

 to be entirely hardy, coming through 

 the winter unhurt and without the 

 slightest protection. 



There are several varieties of A. Ja- 

 ponicum, the foliage shaded from yel- 

 low to blood red, and all are worth 

 growing. 



ACHILLEA. 



This is a large genus of hardy peren- 

 nials, many of them suitable for the 



