February 7, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



57 



and Nicholson's Hybrid are all good varieties. Sutton's Per- 

 fection is handsome, and we shall plant it for future trial, but 

 Nicholson's Hybrid sets its small fruit much more freely, and, 

 so far, is the best variety we have ever tried for indoor culti- 

 vation. . 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Notes on Anthuriums. 



THIS elegant family of stove decorative plants is a distinct 

 class, and when seen in good condition, either as exhibi- 

 tion specimens or for home decoration, are always admired. 

 Those of the Andreanum and Ferrierense types are remarka- 

 ble for the brilliant colors of their spathes ; while those of the 

 Crystallinum Warocqueana and Grande types are distinguished 

 for the rich coloring and massiveness of their foliage. Being 

 natives of tropical America, they must be treated to genial 

 warmth in this northern latitude. They can hardly be consid- 

 ered a difficult class of plants to grow; with a stove-house 

 where a winter temperature of fifty-five to sixty degrees is 

 maintained during cold weather at nights, and the usual rise 

 of ten degrees or more by day, according to the amount of 

 sunshine, any one may reasonably expect to succeed with 

 them. The summer temperature, of course, will be consid- 

 erably higher, approaching that of the tropics. 



The Anthuriums, as a class, are quite particular about the 

 material in which they are rooted, and they require a sweet, 

 fresh compost which is not liable to become water-logged or 

 sour. If, by any mischance, the compost gets in bad condition 

 the roots of the plants are nearly always found dead, with 

 only a few living ones near the surface of the pot. In potting 

 Anthuriums, the compost which I have found most suitable 

 is a mixture of fresh sphagnum moss and sun-dried cow- 

 manure, such as can be found in a pasture. It should never 

 be collected if not thoroughly dried, unless with the intention 

 of drying it artificially for future use. To about three parts of 

 sphagnum I add one of the dried cow-manure, with bro- 

 ken crock or small lumps of charcoal, to give it a porous 

 character. This compost remains fresh and good longer than 

 a general mixture of fibrous loam, peat and flaky leaf-mold, 

 although I have used the latter to good advantage when the 

 dried manure was not procurable. The purpose is to get a 

 good coarse compost, one that the water will pass through 

 without leaving the soil sodden and acid. Nothing of a fine 

 texture, like ordinary potting soil or sifted leaf-mold, should 

 be used. 



In potting, ample shifts should always be given, for the 

 plants root very freely and ramify in every direction. They 

 are undoubtedly surface-rooting subjects in their native habi- 

 tat, and subsist on the thin upper layer of such decaying mat- 

 ter as fallen leaves, mosses, etc. 



Again, liquid-manure cannot be used with Anthuriums to 

 any advantage, nor, indeed, any kind of fertilizers. Once they 

 are pot-bound nothing seems to put vigor into them but re- 

 potting in fresh material, when they generally start off with 

 good strength. Plenty of drainage should be used, and the 

 surface of the compost should be built up above the rim of 

 the pot some two or three inches and packed quite firm. 

 They should always be kept moist in summer and winter. It 

 is a mistake to subject them to any drying-off process, with 

 the idea of giving them rest. This is detrimental, as the roots 

 seem always active. 



Anthuriums should be shaded when the sun is bright to 

 save the foliage from burning or turning yellow and sickly. 

 The leaves being large and soft, they are easily injured by the 

 heat of the summer sun. 



Old specimen pieces whose constitution has been weakened 

 can easily be divided and potted up again, using one or more 

 crowns to a pot, according to the discretion of the grower. 

 January, February and March are good months for this work, 

 as it allows the plants time to make nice pieces by autumn. 

 After breaking up the pieces they must be kept a trifle warmer, 

 if possible, in a moist atmosphere to excite root-action. This 

 can also be done during the summer months, but not so suc- 

 cessfully, because root-action is more vigorous at the begin- 

 ning of the year, even in exotics of this class. 



Many new seedlings, with spathes of striking color, have 

 been produced within a few years, showing that a greater in- 

 terest is being taken in these plants. Anthurium Andreanum 

 and A. Ferrierense have held the lead quite easily, but new 

 varieties are becoming common. Brownii is a rich dark va- 

 riety ; Albanense is claimed to be the finest colored seedling 

 of the Andreanum and Ferrierense hybrids, and several Eng- 

 lish firms are offering new varieties. ' „ „ w .... 



Pittsfield, Mass. A. P. Meredith. 



[At the exhibition held in Madison Square Garden in the 



spring of 1893 certificates were awarded to two seedlings 

 exhibited by Mr. Meredith. The spathes were finely glazed 

 and of a rich tint which might have been called dark blood 

 color. One of them was shown under the name of An- 

 thurium Cuttingianum, in compliment to Colonel Walter 

 Cutting, of Pittsfield. We believe that it is not yet in 

 commerce. — Ed. ] 



Greenhouse Work. 



"THE busy period of spring potting and seed-sowing is rap- 

 ■*• idly approaching, and it is good practice at this time to get 

 a quantity of soil ready for use, so that it may be in proper 

 condition when it is wanted. Loam, leaf-mold and sand are 

 the basis of our potting composts, with ground bone added for 

 all such plants as are to remain in pots for a long period, as, 

 for example, those that are potted annually. Hard-wooded 

 plants do not like bone in the soil, and when potting Azaleas, 

 Ericas, Boronias, greenhouse Rhododendrons and plants of 

 like nature a separate compost is made up. It is a safe rule to 

 follow, that plants of strong root-action need more loam and 

 less leaf-mold, and vice versa. 



Of the stock of Amaryllis all that are starting have been re- 

 potted, as also all the seedlings of the past year. Those that 

 are still dormant are left until later, so as to provide a succes- 

 sion of bloom. The Amaryllis which are evergreen do not 

 need so decided a period of rest as the deciduous varieties ; 

 this is the best time to repot these before root-growth com- 

 mences. 



Gloxinias have now started. The largest plants should be 

 potted on, to be followed later by other plants as they require 

 it. The worst enemy of the Gloxinia is thrips ; where these 

 get a footing all chance of bloom is lost, and the trouble is 

 often unsuspected until too late to remedy it the same season. 

 The white Orchid-thrips are the worst to get rid of. Continued 

 fumigation sometimes proves a remedy, but this cannot be 

 done after the flowers open, or some of them will be spoiled. 

 We intend this season to dust the plants frequently with 

 tobacco-powder during the earlier stages of growth. 



In a few days we shall begin to pot all the warm-house plants. 

 Crotons, Dracaenas, Marantas and other foliage-plants will all 

 be looked over, cleaned when this is necessary, and repotted. 

 When this work in the warm-house is finished it will be time 

 to begin to pot the plants in the cool-house. These are better 

 potted on a month later, as growth does not begin as early as 

 it does in the warmer house. Where Nepenthes are grown, 

 and they have ceased to produce pitchers on the last-made 

 leaves, the plants must be cut" down to within an inch or two 

 of the base. If less water is applied for a week or two, new 

 growths will soon start, and these will develop their character- 

 istic pitchers. If the soil is in poor condition the plants should 

 be shaken out and potted in a compost of sphagnum-moss and 

 fern-root. A mixture such as is used for Cypripediums is best 

 for them. Cuttings of Nepenthes may be rooted in a brisk 

 bottom-heat if they are taken off at this time and put in small 

 pots, with moss and fern-root tied round the base of the cut- 

 ting to keep it firm. From two to three months are usually 

 required to establish the roots, and after this the plants grow 

 rapidly. 



Young Cyclamens from seed sown last fall should now be 

 large enough to pot off into small pots. The smaller the pots, 

 the better to start with, for Cyclamens are very impatient of 

 overpotting at any season, and more especially at this time of 

 year. The soil should be made porous, and plenty of sand 

 must be added or a little powdered charcoal. Charcoal is 

 always a desirable addition to potting-soil, or soil for seed- 

 sowing, as it keeps it both sweet and loose. Old bulbs of 

 Cyclamen when past flowering should not be dried off. This 

 is sometimes done to the great injury of the bulbs for the next 

 season's use. They may be placed under the benches, not 

 altogether out of sight, and water must be supplied as long as 

 the leaves remain. In spring a cold frame will suit them well. 

 If leaf-mold is sifted over them so that the spaces between the 

 pots are filled up, and about an inch of soil put over the bulbs 

 themselves, little water will be needed, but in wet weather the 

 sashes must be put on. By June some of the bulbs will have 

 started, and these may be taken out and potted, and the re- 

 maining ones treated likewise as soon as they start to grow. 

 We have had good success with old Cyclamen-plants under 

 this treatment. 



A very useful plant to have in small pots is Asparagus tenu- 

 issimus. This species roots easily from cuttings. It is a good 

 time to put them in now, and they will be rooted in about six 

 weeks. A. plumosus will not root from cuttings, but must be 



