Veins 



( 423 ) 



Ventilago 



for two or three degrees of frost would cripple the 

 plants. The careful cultivator who has Cauliflower 

 hand-lights to spare utilises them for his Marrows. 



The points should be taken out of the plants 

 after they have begun to grow freely; this will 

 facilitate the formal ion of side shoots. The usual 

 method of training is to distribute these shoots 

 evenly over tho ground, but the plants may also be 

 trained with advantage up wooden or wire trellises. 

 No artificial pollination is necessary. 



In periods of drought it will often be found that 

 the fruit will not set. Copious supplies of water at 

 the roots and overhead will help to ensure setting. 

 Also keep all Marrows cut as they become large 

 enough, except where one is wanted for seed. 

 Liquid manure may be given freely. Nitrate of 

 soda, \ oz. per square ycird, is an excellent fertiliser ; 

 so also is a little guano dissolved in clear water. 

 .Soot water is a capital variant. 



Mildew occasionally attacks the plants in tho 

 autumn, but it does not appear to do them much 

 damage. If black fly appears in the earlier stages, 

 dust with tobacco powder, and wash off two hours 

 after with clear water. 



The following are excellent varieties. 



Custard. Moore's Cream. 



"Long Green. I'en-y-byil. 



"Long White. 



* Select one of these where one variety only is 

 wanted. 



VEINS. 



Upon reaching the leaves the strands of fibro- 

 vascular tissue split up and branch more or less, 

 until at the margins of the leaves they resolve 

 themselves into very fine threads, which are, how- 

 ever, distinctly visible amidst the surrounding 

 tissue. Thus are originated the veins or nerves of 

 the leaves. 



Broadly speaking, two systems of arrangement 

 are to be seen, (1) in which the nerves are 

 approximately parallel to each other, and (2) in 

 which they appear to branch indiscriminately and 

 run into each other so as to form a network, 

 the ultimate ends of the veinlets occurring within 

 the areas enclosed by the stronger veins. The 

 former type is characteristic of Monocotyledons 

 generally, and is well seen in the leaves of the Lily 

 of the Valley. The latter type is the Dicotyle- 

 donous one, and is exempli tied in most of our 

 common flowering plants, e.g. the Primrose, the 

 Oak, and the Horse Chestnut. 



From a garden point of view, many foliage 

 plants owe much of the beauty of their leaves to 

 the nerves or veins. Where variegation is a feature 

 this is usually most strongly marked in the imnie- 

 mediate vicinity of the veins, as well as in the veins 

 themselves. Or the nerves may be delicately tinted 

 with a colour distinct from that displayed by the 

 rest of the leaf. This is well seen in many 

 Caladiums, where the veining is often the greatest 

 beauty of the leaf. 



In skeletonising leaves the operator attempts to 

 sever the nerve system from the surrounding tissue 

 and to keep the former intact. The leaves are 

 either allowed to rot in water or are boiled in a 

 solution of potassimn permanganate, or lime and 

 soda mixed. After the ground tissue has been 

 destroyed the veins are bleached with chloride of 

 lime, two dessert spoonfuls in 1 gallon of water. 

 Leaves which are to be skeletonised should be 

 gathered at their prime. 



VEITCHIA. 



Handsome stove Palms, closely allied to and 

 needing somewhat the same conditions as Kentias. 

 They will not, however, stand the rough usage that 

 Kentias will. Propagation is by imported seeds, in 

 heat. The principal species are Johannis and 

 Storckii ; the latter attains a height of 4(/. 



V ELL A. (CRESS ROCKET.) 



Half-hardy evergreen shrubs (fird. Crucifenc). 

 Propagation, by cuttings of young growths in 

 summer, beneath a hand-light, and kept shaded. 

 Soil, loam, leaf mould, and sand. 



Principal Species : 



Psetido-cytisus, 3', Ap. and My., spur yel. 



VELLEIA (nyn. VELLEJA). 



Dwarf growing greenhouse evergreen herbs (wrrf. 

 GoodenovieEe). Propagation, by division. Soil, 

 fibrous loam and sandy peat. 



Principal Species : 



lyrata, 6", Ap., yel. paradoxa, 6", Jy., yel. 



macrophylla, 3', My., yel. spathulata, 6", Ap., yel. 



VELLOZIA. 



Tall growing, much branched, stove or warm, 

 greenhouse perennials (or/l. Aniaryllidcai). Prop- 

 agation, by division in spring. Soil, loam and peat 

 in equal proportions, with a little leaf mould and 

 coarse sand. 



Principal Species : 



Candida, 3', sum., wh. retinervis, 3' to 10', sum., 



elegans, 3', various, wh., bl. 



gen. 



VELTHEIMIA. 



Greenhouse bulbous plants (tint. Liliaccsc). 

 Propagation, by offsets. Soil, light loam, with 

 plenty of sand. Viridifolia is a popular window 

 plant. 



Principal Species and Variety : 



glauca, 2', Mrh., flesh. 

 rubcsceus, deeper 

 colour. 



intermedia, 1.'.', Ap., 



flesh, 

 viridifolin, 2", Aug., flesh 



(yn. Aletris capensis). 



VENIDIUM. 



A genus o hardy, half-hardy, or greenhouse 

 annual and perennial herbs (ord. Compositse), with 

 rather large and showy flowers. They make good 

 pot plants, or may be used for summer bedding. 

 They may be treated as annuals, and propagated 

 by seeds sown in heat in spring or by cuttings in 

 summer or autumn. Soil, loam and leaf mould or 

 peat. 



Principal Species and Variety : 

 calendulaceum (sir fu- or., blk. (.//. ralendu- 



gax). laceum of gardens), 



decurrens var. calendula- hirsutum, 9" to 12", Jy., 



ceum, 6" to 12", Jy., hdy. ann., or., hlk. 



grh. per., yel., hr. (//. rather paler than above 



calendulaceum of Less., (*.'/" speciosum of 



not of gardens). gardens), 



fugax, U', Jy.,hdy. ami., 



VENTILAGO. 



A small gonus of' climbing stove shrubs (ord. 

 lihamneai), with panicles of small flowers and 

 alternate leaves. Propagation, by division, and by 

 M 'ei Is a nd cut t ings in heat. Soil, loam, peat, and sand. 



Principal Species : 



madraspatana, el.. Je., grn. 



Venter Siimiir/i (xcr Ithtis Cotiniii). 

 1 'mtrMatia mi'iiar (Stylidivm lintar/'). 



