March 4, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



97 



given to airing and shading, and even then the atmosphere is 

 apt to become too dry. The Cephalotus does not need a high 

 temperature; it ought to be kept in the coolest part of the 

 house, but it certainly delights in an atmosphere heavily laden 

 with moisture. I prefer to grow it, especially in summer, in a 

 roomy glass case, shaded on the sunny side with a piece of 

 light cloth, which in dull weather can be removed altogether. 

 In the case I put about six inches of sphagnum moss and 

 plunge the pots in it; such plants as Dionsea and the Droseras 

 do splendidly under similar conditions ; in fact, it is about the 

 only way in which they can be grown to perfection, so that the 

 glass structure can be made to contain quite an interesting 

 collection. 



The Cephalotus must have material to grow in which is free 

 from any decomposed matter. A good mixture consists of 

 equal parts of fibrous Orchid peat, pulled apart into quite 

 small pieces ; live Sphagnum moss, chopped fine ; coarse- 

 grained sand and broken charcoal. Too much care cannot be 

 used when renewing the material about the roots. The best 

 time to perform the operation is about the end of March be- 

 fore the plants start into growth. It is seldom we see a plant 

 too large for a four-inch pot. Drain the pots well, putting a 

 large piece of broken pot over the hole and some smaller 

 pieces over that again ; pot as firmly as possible without injur- 

 ing the roots, keeping the plants well above the rims of the 

 pots ; finish off with the growing points of Sphagnum, and 

 water thoroughly. When the plants are put in smaller-sized 

 pots than fours it is a good plan to plunge them in larger ones, 

 using small gravel to fill the space between the pots ; this not 

 only helps to keep the roots cool in summer, but is- an impor- 

 tant aid to the drainage. 



The Cephalotus belongs to the Saxifrage family, and is not 

 related to any of the other well-known insectivorous plants ; 

 most of its leaves are in the form of pitchers, a trifle resembling 

 those of the Nepenthes; although small, they areas handsome 

 in appearance as any of the Nepenthes. The plant is a native 

 of west Australia. 



Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. <>• W. Uliver. 



Fuchsias and Gloxinias. 



OLD Fuchsia bushes which have been resting in cool quar- 

 ters may now be brought into genial warmth and pruned 

 of all dead and surplus growth. As a rule, these plants make 

 the most effective specimens when trained as pyramids. It 

 often happens, however, that varieties of a naturally weeping 

 habit have so crowded the lower branches during the previous 

 season's growth that these are much weakened and do not 

 trim out well into shape. Such plants may be formed into 

 standards by cutting out all the lower branches. They are 

 equally effective in grouping. Repotting should be deferred 

 until there are signs of root-activity and some budded growth 

 is made. Fuchsias are gross feeders, and an abundance of 

 well-decayed manure should be mixed with the soil used for 

 them. The drainage must be free and water be given spar- 

 ingly until the plants are in active growth. From this time 

 onward their culture is simple. All that is required is to keep 

 the plants in shape by taking out the tips of the strongest 

 shoots and all flower-buds until within a week or two of the 

 time they are required to bloom. Such plants as are not 

 wanted for growing on will come in useful for odd corners, or 

 for use in mixed subtropical beds. Not the least attractive 

 feature in an amateur's garden last summer was a bed wholly 

 composed of Fuchsias, arranged with excellent taste and 

 trimmed with care, until it became a perfect mound of bloom. 

 Some plants of the yellow-leaved variety, Wave of Life, were 

 used as an edging. 



During the early spring months cuttings of such varieties 

 may be rooted as it is wished to retain, for old plants are not to 

 be relied upon to winter over. These cuttings often make 

 attractive plants during the season, shifted on into six or seven 

 inch pots, and they are a most convenient size for hall, piazza, 

 or table decoration. It is hardly necessary to draw attention 

 to the many beautiful florists' varieties which are mainly 

 hybrids between Fuchsia triphylla, F. fulgens, F. corymbirlora, 

 F. serratifolia, F. macrostema and others, for, whether species 

 or hybrids, they are all beautiful. Particular attention should 

 be drawn, however, to some of the winter-flowering kinds, 

 natives mostly of South America. F. corymbiflora is one 

 of the most beautiful of these. It is a rambling plant when 

 grown naturally, and best suited for a pillar, rafter, or a wall 

 where it can get plenty of sunshine. I do not know ol any 

 American gardens where it is grown, but presume it is plen 

 tiful enough in European gardens, and could easily be ob- 

 tained. One sort I know as F. speciosa and another as 



Lord Beaconsfield, of similar character, are both good winter 

 bloomers, with extremely long, showy red flowers. Then 

 there are some dwarf, small-flowered kinds, almost hardy 

 everywhere in England. It is seldom they are killed outright, 

 however much they are cut above ground. I remember F. 

 Riccartorie and F. gracilis among these, and believe they are 

 varieties of F. macrostema, a native of Chili. F. gracilis makes 

 a handsome basket plant. 



Tubers of Gloxinias are disposed to start with little or no 

 root moisture. Of late years we have rested ours in the pots 

 they bloomed in, and although kept in the coolest quarters 

 we can give them consistent with safety they have made 

 considerable leaf-growth. It seems natural that they should 

 start during the month of February. Enforced rest, such as 

 is given when the tubers are taken out of the pots and stored 

 in sand, has always appeared to me unnatural ; even it all the 

 plants live over, which is doubtful, their vitality will be les- 

 sened. Since I have kept my plants in pots I have found live 

 roots at all times, even though there was no sign of life above 

 ground, and active roots quickly form with the merest trace 

 of moisture as soon as the sun gains power. Last season I 

 grew along a batch of old tubers without repotting, and with 

 the aid of weak liquid manure, given when the plants were in 

 good growing condition, they increased in size and flowered 

 better than they did the year before. It does not seem to me 

 that success depends as much on the nature of the soil as upon 

 location and careful watering until root-action is well 

 established. Situation is more important than it would appear 

 to be, as all growers of experience will agree. Good light, but 

 not direct sunshine, after March begins, and plenty of fresh 

 air are essential. 



Small bulbs from seeds sown last July are beginning to start, 

 and these will grow into good specimens, coming in as a 

 second batch. Seeds sown now will give a good percentage 

 of seedlings for bloom during the autumn months. Seeds 

 should be sown on pans of fine soil previously moistened, 

 and later, as moisture is needed for germination, it should be 

 given on the subirrigation plan — that is, from below. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Half. eld. 



Native Cypripediums. — Last November we secured several 

 clumps of Cypripedium spectabile and C. parviflora. These 

 were potted in a mixture of peat and loam and placed on a 

 temporary shelf under one of the stages in the cool temperate 

 house. About the middle of January they began to show signs 

 of growth. They were then placed in a light position in the 

 same house, where they could also get abundance of air, and 

 kept well supplied with water. They made strong growth, and 

 have now perfected their flowers, which are truly beautiful 

 and greatly admired by the many visitors to these greenhouses. 

 It is the opinion of many that the exotic species of Cypripe- 

 dium cannot compare with these native ones for brilliancy of 

 color and grace of form. Like many other plants, they come 

 to far greater perfection when grown under the protection of a 

 greenhouse than when growing in their native wilds and buf- 

 feted by wind and storm. They also last in flower considera- 

 bly longer. C. parviflorum has also a delicate perfume. We 

 hope to try several other native Orchids in the greenhouses 

 another year besides Cypripediums, and suggest that the ex- 

 periment is worth trying elsewhere. 

 Northampton, Mass. Edward J. Canning. 



Begonia Socotrana. — This plant, which was recently recom- 

 mended in Garden and Forest for its ease of multiplication 

 and abundant flowering from October to December, has a 

 greater significance for the plant breeder. It is highly prob- 

 able that the gulf separating the shrubby and tuberous sections 

 of Begonias is to be crossed by this single drawbridge. The 

 shrubby plants have the best leaves and the poori 

 while the tuberous Begonias have less showy leaves and 

 flowers with great possibilities of development. We ought to 

 have the best flowers with the best foliage and habit. The 

 tuberous Begonias flower in the summer and die down yearly, 

 while most of the shrubby forms are perennials, blossoming 

 in the winter, when color is scarce. In B. Socotrana the two 

 sections seem to meet on common ground. The bulbs pro 

 duced above ground unite the plant with the tuberous section. 

 It is a waste of time to try to cross the two sections directly ; 

 the shrubby plant should be crossed with 1'.. Socotrana and 

 B. Socotrana with the tuberous Begonias, and these two 

 primary hybrids with each other. The intermediate > haracter 

 of this Begonia, developed on an isolated island two hundred 

 miles from Africa, has been insisted upon by Nicholson, in 

 his Gardeners' Directory, as the clue lor plant breeders to 

 work with. 



Cornell University. 





