ACHIMEKES. 3 



Close attention must be paid to watering ; the soil should 

 always be damp, but never wet, syringing frequently to 

 keep off red spiders ; it is better to shade a little at noon, 

 if the sun is very hot. When the plants are about five 

 inches high they should be tied to small, inconspicuous 

 stakes ; in tying, care should be taken to place the sticks 

 so that the pan will be a symmetrical mass of green. 

 The plants will begin to flower in June, when they 

 should be kept partially shaded, and no longer syringed, 

 and, in watering, one must avoid wetting the foliage. 

 They will keep in flower several weeks. After flowering, 

 water should be gradually withheld, and when the leaves 

 turn yellow the pans should be set under a bench, and 

 the tubers must not be disturbed until it is time to start 

 again the following season. With a little care in drying 

 off and starting, a succession of bloom may be had the 

 entire year. This may not be desirable, however, as in 

 winter there are other plants of interest sufficient to fill 

 all the space in the greenhouse. The following are the 

 most desirable of the many species and varieties that 

 have been introduced and favorably mentioned : 



SPECIES. 



A. Candida. A tall-growing, much-branched spe- 

 cies, with pure white flowers. 



A. coccinea, One of the first introduced, a native 

 of Jamaica ; flowers bright scarlet. 



A. hirsuta. Rose flowers with a yellow eye ; plant 

 hairy. 



A. multiflora. Many flowered ; pale lilac. 



A. picta. The painted-leaved Achimenes ; flowers 

 scarlet, with a yellow eye. 



HYBRID VARIETIES. 



Advance. Flowers reddish purple, lighter at the 

 eye ; dwarf, and free of habit. 



