Blechum 



( 127 ) 



Blinds 



BLECHUM. 



Perennial stove herbs (ord. Acanthaceas). They 

 are easily propagated by cuttings of the short side 

 .-hoots taken off with a heel in spring or in 

 summer, and put in sand under a bell-glass in a 

 stove or pit. Fibrous loam, with a third of peat or 

 leaf mould, will meet their requirements. 



Principal Species : 



Brownei, 2', Je., wh. 

 laxiflorum, '!' , wh. 



HMtrustifolium, 1', Je., bl. 



l>ni-ilinnse (xi-e Steuau- 



drium maudioccauum) . 



BLEEDING. 



The name given to an extravasation of sap, which 

 takes place in various plants from different causes. 

 The Vine is the chief subject whose bleeding 

 troubles thu gardener, and fortunately this may be 

 rectified by early pruning ; at least a month being 

 allowed to elapse between pruning and starting 

 the Vines into growth. With Vines which have 

 shown a previous tendency to bleed, a dressing of 

 painter's knotting applied to the cut portion at 

 pruning time may be recommended. Searing with 

 a, hot iron, the application of sealing wax, or a 

 Potato fixed on the bleeding portion, have all 

 been tried and often found wanting. The use of 

 all is rendered superfluous bv early pruning. 

 Gumming in the Cherry and other stone fruits is 

 another form of bleeding. 



BLEPHARIS (including ACANTHODIUM). 



Herbs or small shrubs (ord. Acanthaceae), re- 

 quiring stove or greenhouse treatment. The herbs 

 are mostly annual or biennial. Propagation can 

 be effected in all cases by seeds. The perennial 

 trailers and shrubby species may also be increased 

 by cuttings under a bell-glass or in a propagating 

 case. For compost use two-thirds of fibrous loam, 

 one-third of leaf mould, and sufficient sharp sand 

 to make it porous. 



Principal Species : 

 boerhaavia'folia, 1', Jy., 



st. ;um , bl. 

 eapensis, 1', Jy., grh. 



Han., bl. (/n. Acan- 



thodium capense). 

 eanluifolia, 1', Aug. , grh., 



bl. 

 fmrata, 2', Jy., grh., shr. 



(syn. Acanthodium fur- 

 catum). 



linearifolia, 2', Jy., st. 

 aim., bl. (ti(/n. Acanth- 

 odium hirtum). 



procumbens, 1', Jy.,grh. , 

 trailer (&yn. Acantho- 

 dium procumbens). 



species, and fibrous peat and sphagnum for the 

 epiphytes, llepotting may be effected when new 

 roots are being pushed out. Give plenty of water 

 in summer when growth is active. 



Principal Species : 



florida, 2', Feb., st., ro. 



(si/n. pallida). 

 gracilis, H', Jy., st., 



greenish wh. 

 hyacinthina, 1', Ap., 



luly. or half-hdy., ro., 



crim. (sy. Gebina). 



Hdy. in warm parts of 



England. 



Other Species : 

 campanulata, st., pur., 



wh. 



Gebina (see hyacinthina). 

 godseffiana ; probably a 



var. of verecunda. 

 havanensis, 2-V, st., pur. 

 maculatus (see Phaius 



maculatus). 

 pallida (nee florida) . 

 Parkinson!, 1', Jy., st., 



ro. 



BLEPHILIA. 



Hardy perennials (ord. Labiatse), with flowers 

 resembling those of the Monardas. They grow in 

 rather dry soil with a little shade, and are in- 

 creased by division of the roots in autumn or 

 spring, and by seeds sown in the open or under 

 glass at the latter season. The best species of the 

 genus as yet introduced are ciliata, 2', June, purple, 

 and hirsuta, 3', July, purple. Other species are 

 Beckii and brevipes. 



BLETIA. 



Terrestrial and epiphytal, erect-growing Orchids 

 (on/. Orchidacesc), mostly requiring a stove tem- 

 perature, but one is hardy or half-hardy. The 

 pseudo-bulbs are leafless, or bear one or two leaves 

 at the time of flowering. The racemes are simple 

 or branched, and the flowers vary from white to 

 rose, purple, and crimson. Propagation is effected 

 by the division of the pieces or separation of the 

 tuberous rootstock. For compost, fibrous loam 

 .and peat in equal proportions, with a dash of 

 -sand, may be used in the case of the terrestrial 



secunda, 2', st. , grn., 



crim. 

 Shepherdii, 2', Jy., st., 



pur., yel. 

 verecunda, 3', Mch., st., 



pur. (//. Limodorum 



alatum). 



patula, 2', Mch., st., pur. 

 reflexa, 2', st., pur., grn. 

 sherrattiana, st., pur., 



wh., yel. 

 Tankervillue (see Phaius 



grandifolius). 

 watsoniana, gold and 



magenta. 

 Woodt'ordii (see Phaius 



maculatus). 



BLIGHT. 



The popular name given to attacks of insect or 

 fungus pests, such as the Potato Blight (fungoid) 

 and the American Blight (insect). The name is 

 commonly applied to the various aphides. 8ee the 

 various crops affected for remedies. The haze or 

 fog often seen in hot weather is sometimes spoken 

 of as " blight," probably because it is supposed to 

 bring with it attacks of mildew and other fungoid 

 diseases. 



BLIND PLANTS. 



Cabbages which produce no central bud, bulbs 

 which produce no flowers, and Strawberries which 

 bear no fruit, are generally called blind. Blindness 

 may be caused either by a check in the early 

 stages, while the tissues of the plant are yet tender, 

 or by too rich feeding. Thus pot Strawberries will 

 often go blind wholesale if given very rich soil and 

 allowed to suffer from want of water. 



BLINDS. 



These are used chiefly for the protection of 

 Orchids and other tender foliaged plants growing 

 under glass against the rays of hot sunshine in 

 the summer. They are also employed for letting 

 down in front of early flowering fruit trees on 

 walls as a guard against spring frosts. For 

 shading purposes, blinds may be fixed temporarily 

 or permanently, but the former is the better method, 

 as they can be removed from the houses and 

 stored away during the winter, when they are 

 not required. There are several materials used 

 for making blinds, including tiffany, frigi-domo 

 canvas, and scrim, or gauze canvas. It should be 

 remembered that the idea is to break the force of 

 the sunshine, not to shut out light. All dark 

 coloured material should be avoided, as the whiter 

 it is the more light it will admit. The fabric 

 known as scrim is light, durable, and one of the 

 best materials for shading purposes. A good 

 method of fixing blinds is to attach one end of 

 the material to a stout lath, and the other to a 

 round wooden roller. The lath is fastened to the 



Blighia (sec 



