AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



339 



POL 



nearly a foot as the original, a feature making 

 it invaluable for green-house culture. The 

 Tuberose delights in a strong, rich soil, deep 

 and moist. Manure, heat and water are essen- 

 tial to its perfect development. For cultiva- 

 tion in the open border, the bulbs should be 

 planted about the first of June, covering the 

 tuber about one inch with light, fine soil. No 

 other care is needed than that usually given 

 garden plants. The only care required is in 

 the selection of the bulbs, which, if kept 

 moist and cool during the winter, are liable 

 to rot away in the centre, rendering them 

 worthless for flowering. Perfect tubers will 

 always be green at the top, or at least suffi- 

 ciently so to show signs of life ; and in choos- 

 ing, all others should be rejected. Forcing 

 the Tuberose, so as to have the flowers from 

 January to March, is an exceedingly difficult 

 operation, and is now but little attempted 

 here. The plant being of tropical origin, to 

 have it at all times in a growing state requires 

 a high temperature not less than an average 

 of 80 ; consequently, few ordinarily-heated 

 green-houses or private sitting-rooms are at a 

 temperature high enough to insure the con- 

 tinued and uninterrupted growth necessary 

 to the production of flowers in the dark winter 

 months. It is, however, comparatively easily 

 forced so as to produce flowers during April, 

 May and June, and again, by retarding the 

 bulbs, during November and December. By 

 the first method the bulbs are, about the first 

 of January, placed closely together in boxes 

 three inches deep, having two inches or so of 

 damp moss in the bottom. These boxes are 

 placed in some warm spot, where the temper- 

 ature will average 75". If for green-house 

 culture, the best place is on the hot water 

 pipes. In about four or five weeks the Tube- 

 roses will have rooted all through the moss, 

 and they should then be potted in four or five 

 inch pots, or planted in a bench of soil four or 

 five inches deep, and kept in a temperature at 

 no time less than 75, and flowers will be had 

 in abundance in April. For succession crops, 

 place the dry bulbs in moss, at intervals of 

 three or four weeks. The last crops will usu- 

 ally be the best, as by May and June the tem- 

 perature will have increased, and less artificial 

 heat will be required. If flowers are wanted 

 during November and December, the retard- 

 ing process alluded to is resorted to. This is 

 done by selecting such bulbs as are wanted 

 (care being taken to use only such as are 

 sound and firm), and placing them in some 

 cool, dry )>lace until the middle of August, 

 when the first crop may be planted, either in 

 pots or in a bench of the green-house, as 

 described above for the spring crop. This 

 planting will produce a crop by November. 

 For the succession crop for December, plant- 

 ing must be delayed until the middle of Sep- 

 tember. The same high temperature is indis- 

 pensable as in the spring crop, namely, an 

 average of 75. The variety best for forcing 

 is the "Pearl." which grows only about half 

 the height and has flowers nearly twice the 

 diameter of the old sort; but for planting in 

 the open ground in the ordinary way, when 

 the flowers are only wanted for fall, the com- 

 mon double variety is the best ; as, being less 

 full, the flowers open better under the often 

 unfavorably dry atmosphere that we have in 

 October. Tuberoses, are often forwarded, so 



POL 



as to be got in flower in the earlier fall 

 months, in sections of the country where the 

 season is too short. This is done exactly in 

 the way recommended for the spring forcing 

 by starting the bulbs in damp moss ; but for 

 this purpose the dry bulbs should not be 

 placed in the moss until the middle of May. 

 By the middle of June when the weather has 

 become warm, and they are set out, they will 

 start to grow at once, and will in this way 

 flower from three to four weeks earlier than 

 if the dry bulb had been put in the open 

 ground, cold as it is in most of the Northern 

 States in May. Of course it will be under- 

 stood that when the dry bulbs are placed in 

 the moss to start it must be in a green-house, 

 or in some place where the thermometer will 

 average 75 or 80, or they will not start at 

 all, or, at least, very feebly. It will thus be 

 seen, from the foregoing remarks, that it will 

 be utterly useless to attempt to grow Tube- 

 roses at any season unless in a tropical tem- 

 perature, which at no time should be less than 

 75. Many growers of this flower have been 

 sadly disappointed in the results, their flowers 

 coming single instead of double, and they 

 naturally ask the cause. We can only say, 

 there is a tendency in all sports and hybrids 

 to return to the original or type, and this 

 plant is no exception to the rule. The condi- 

 tions of growth may have much to do with it. 

 We have known large stocks that were wholly 

 double one year to come nearly all single the 

 next. We cannot satisfactorily account for 

 it, and only know that the annoyance is com- 

 mon in every place where they are grown. 

 From a very close observation, we believe 

 much is due to poor cultivation, and the best 

 remedy is to be found in giving them a very 

 rich soil and good cultivation. Like many 

 other plants, we have found they do best 

 when given a rotation of soil. The beautiful 

 variegated variety before mentioned, its leaves 

 beautifully striped white and green, is in cul- 

 tivation, and is an excellent plant for groups 

 in the mixed border, and more especially as 

 forming a distinct variegated row in a ribbon 

 border in contrast with Coleus, etc. 

 Politus. Having a polished appearance, as the 

 coat or shell of many seeds. 



Pollen. The powdery or other matter usually 

 contained in the cells of an anther, by whose 

 action on the stigma the fertilization of the 

 ovules is accomplished. POLLEN CELLS are 

 the cavities of an anther, in which the pollen 

 is formed ; POLLEN GBAINS, or granules, the 

 separate particles of pollen, and POLLEN 

 TUBES, membraneous tubes emitted by pollen, 

 and conducting the fluid which the pollen 

 secretes down the style. 



Pollinia. Pollen-masses. 



Pollination. A term used to designate the dust- 

 ing of the stigma of a flower with the pollen- 

 grains, as distinguished from fertilization 

 or the action of the pollen upon the ovule, 

 which gives rise to the development of the 

 seed containing an embryo. 



Poly. In Greek compounds signifying numer- 

 ous. 



Folya'nthus. An umbellate-flowered variety of 

 Primula vulgaris, probably derived from a 

 cross between the Primrose and Cowslip ; 

 cultivated as a garden or florist's flower. 



