16 



The Florists^ Review 





June 8. 1922 



of the other draceenas, it can be easily 

 and quickly grown from seeds. It is 

 principally from seeds, therefore, that 

 it is propagated. The seeds germinate 

 most freely if sown in late winter or 

 early spring, in flats of sandy soil, and 

 placed in a house where a temperature 

 of 60 to 65 degrees is maintained. Dur- 

 ing the first year the seedlings usually 

 are grown along in small pots under 

 glass. The second spring they are 

 planted out in the open, in light, rich 

 soil, where by fall they develop into 

 good plants for 4-inch to 6-inch pots. 

 If sown sufficiently early in the spring, 

 however, and grown along rapidly in 

 pots, they may be prepared for 6-inch 

 pots by the end of the following Sep- 

 tember, and thus may be grown from 

 seed to marketable size in one season. 

 Among a few hundred indivisa seed- 

 lings a considerable variation of char- 

 acter may be observed. A few of the 

 seedlings, perhaps, may have reddish 

 bronze leaves and may be so choice as 

 to be worthy of special care. If seed is 

 not obtainable, D. indivisa may be 

 propagated by means of canes, as are 

 most of the other dracsenas. 



Propagating from Canes. 



This brings us to the propagation of 

 dracsenas from canes — the ripened 

 stems, from which all the leaves have 

 been removed. Propagation by this 

 method may be accomplished at any 

 season when bottom heat is at com- 

 mand. The undivided canes, in their 

 entire length, may be laid in the propa- 

 gating bed, but it is more customary to 

 cut the canes into pieces from two to 

 four inches long and lay these in the 

 propagating material, which may be 

 sand or fiber or extremely light soil. 

 A mixture sometimes recommended for 

 the purpose consists of equal parts of 

 coarse sand and chopped sphagnum. In 

 this material the pieces of stem are 

 laid in a flat position and are covered 

 about as slightly as .possible or are left 

 just even with the surface of the bed. 

 If kept constantly moist, over a bottom 

 heat of 75 to 80 degrees, these pieces 

 of mature wood soon send out a shoot 



at almost every eye. When the shoots 

 are two or three inches long, they are 

 cut off with a small heel and are placed 

 again in the propagating bed, where 

 they quickly form roots and are ready 

 for small pots of light soil. Or, when 

 severed from the fragment of stem, the 

 shoots may be placed directly in small 

 pots. 



The Young Plants. 



The little plants need a somewhat 

 close atmosphere until established and 

 are moved to larger pots when well 

 rooted. The growth of young draceenas 

 should not be checked by lack of 

 prompt repotting. A suitable potting 

 compost may be formed of three parts 

 of good fibrous loam and one part of 

 well decayed cow manure, with a small 

 quantity of sharp sand and perhaps a 

 sprinkling of bone dust. Leaf-mold is 

 sometimes substituted for the manure. 

 The pots should be well drained. 



In some instances, if no canes are ob- 

 tainable and if the plants in stock are 

 small, the plants may be topped and 

 thus induced to produce numerous side 

 shoots, which may be used for propa- 

 gation. Some varieties, including the 

 variegated forms of D. fragrans, are 

 frequently propagated in this manner. 



Atmospheric Moisture. 



A moist atmosphere is essential in 

 the growing of dracffinas. The atmos- 

 pheric moisture serves two purposes — 

 the control of pests and the promotion 

 of the growth of the plants. Fortu- 

 nately, in this case the conditions that 

 are most pleasant and wholesome to the 

 plants themselves are most disagree- 

 able and deadly to the plants' worst 

 enemies, thrips and red spider. It is 

 well, therefore, in clear weather, to 

 syringe the under side of the leaves 

 thoroughly every day. On cloudy mid- 

 winter days the syringing must be less 

 liberal, or water may lodge in the axils 

 of the leaves and prove injurious. On 

 the other hand, in hot, dry midsummer 

 weather, two daily syringings may be 

 beneficial. 



It is just possible, however, to provide 

 an excessively hot, moist, close atmos- 



phere and thus to induce a tender 

 growth of the leaves. To avoid such a 

 result, it is necessary to admit a little 

 air on all warm, fine days, meantime 

 being careful not to expose the plants 

 to cold drafts. Another necessity, when 

 such frequent syringing is practiced, is 

 that the soil shall be sufficiently porous 

 to permit the surplus water to pass 

 through freely. 



The Heat-loving Varieties. 



In some of the preceding paragraphs, 

 suggestions have already been offered 

 in regard to the proper temperatures for 

 dracsenas. As has been stated, D. in- 

 divisa is a cool-house plant, thriving in 

 an exceptionally low temperature, while 

 a considerably warmer house suits the 

 terminalis group. But many of the 

 most popular, most gorgeously hand- 

 some dracsenas, principally natives of 

 tropical Africa, are at home in the 

 warmest available house, with a night 

 temperature of 65 to 70 degrees, accord- 

 ing to the season and the stage of 

 growth. Among the most familiarly 

 known of these heat-lovers are these 

 four species: D. Goldieana, with glossy 

 green leaves, conspicuously barred and 

 spotted with white or silvery gray; D. 

 Uodseffiana, bright green, thickly spot- 

 ted with white or creamy yellow; D. 

 Sanderiana, with narrow, bright green 

 leaves, striped and margined with 

 white; D. fragrans, with broad, sub- 

 stantial, glossy green foliage. 



Fragrans and Its Varieties. 



D. fragrans and two of its varieties, 

 or variegated forms, Massangeana and 

 Lindenii, are shown in the illustrations 

 which accompany this article. Massan- 

 geana is similar in habit to its parent, 

 but its leaves have a broad, cream-col- 

 ored or yellow stripe or band along the 

 center. Lindenii resembles Massan- 

 geana both in type and coloring, with 

 this distinct difference, that the creamy 

 white, yellow or gold of the Lindenii 

 leaves is on each margin instead of in 

 the center. On account of the heavy 

 texture of their foliage, D. fragrans and 

 its varieties are peculiarly well fitted 

 to endure the dry atmosphere of resi- 

 dences. D. Sanderiana and D. amabilis 

 are also among the varieties that are 

 well adapted for the private home and 

 similar situations. 



Though a warm, moist atmosphere, 

 with shade, is essential to the vigorous 

 growth of many varieties of dracsenas, 

 yet in the early autumn — or whenever 

 the plants are to be put in a finished, 

 liurdoned condition, fit for the market 

 .'ind for their future trying environment 

 — they must be gradually exposed to 

 full sunshine, with a comparatively dry 

 atmosphere. Sunshine is indispensable 

 to the satisfactory development of the 

 colors. 



KANSAS CITY CONVENTION. 



Dracaena Fragrans, Parent of Some Richly Variegated Forms. 



Trade Exhibition. 



The success of the trade exhibition is 

 now practically assured. All the avail- 

 able space in the oval is taken up, and 

 reservations of space in the two arcades 

 are being made at this time in number 

 sufficient to indicate that the whole of 

 the exhibition space in the big building 

 will be taken up long in advance of the 

 convention. In spite of the many an- 

 nouncements made through the trade 

 press and in other ways, prospective 

 exhibitors are still making applications 



