AND GENERAL HOKTICULTUEE. 



349 



PBO 



Procerus. Very tall. 



Process. A term applied to any projection from 

 the surface or edge of a body, wheth.er natural 

 or monstrous. 



Procession Flo-wer. A popular name for Poly- 

 gala vulgaris. 



Pro'ckia. A commemorative name. Nat.Ord. 

 LiliacecB. 



A genus of two or three described species, 

 probably all varieties of P. crucia, a beautiful 

 yellow-flowered, very fragrant plant, introduc- 

 ed from the West Indies in 1825. It requires 

 warm green-house treatment, and is propa- 

 gated by cuttings of the half ripened shoots. 



Proole'sia. Commemorative of Proclea, king of 

 Sparta. Nat. Ord. Vacciniacem. 



A genus of handsome evergreen shrubs or 

 small trees, natives of the mountains of trop- 

 ical America. P. acuminata, with bright red 

 flowers, covered when in bud by scarlet 

 bracts, and P. cordifolia, with bright red flow- 

 ers, white on the margins, are the two best 

 known species, and were introduced from New 

 Grenada in 1865. They are sometimes found 

 in cultivation under the name of Thibaudia, 

 but Bentham and Hooker now place this 



' genus under Cavendishia. 



Procumbent. Lying flat upon the ground. 



Proliferous. A plant is said to be proliferous 

 when it forms young plants in abundance 

 abcfut its roots ; also when buds are formed 

 along the edges of the leaves or otherwise. 



Promenae'a. Derivation of name unknown. 

 Nat. Ord. Orchidacem. 



A small genus of low-growing, very pretty- 

 Orchids from Brazil, formerly classed with 

 Maxillaria. They are usually grown as curi- 

 osities rather than for show; their height 

 rarely exceeds three inches. 



Pronay'a. Named after M. Pronay, a French 

 naturalist. Nat. Ord. PUtosporaeem. 



A genus of green-house evergreen climbers 

 from Swan Kiver. P. elegans, theTjest known 

 species, is a showy plant with terminal clus- 

 ters of pale lilac flowers. It has the habit of 

 Sollya, to which it is nearly allied, but is in- 

 ferior in beauty. It was introduced in 1837, 

 and is propagated by cuttings. Sjn. Spiram,- 

 thera Fra^eri. 



Prone. Lying flat, particularly face down- 

 wards. 



Propagation by Seeds. The most natural way 

 of increasing plants is by seeds ; and when- 

 ever it is practicable to do so, it is preferable 

 to all others, so that in our own practice, any 

 plant of which we can procure the seed, we 

 rarely increase in any other way, unless, of 

 course, in cases where particular varieties are 

 wanted that we know will not reproduce 

 themselves from seed, so as to be certain of 

 color or form ; but in all cases where seed 

 taken from a variety or species will reproduce 

 itself exactly, or in cases where a general 

 variety is wanted, the propagation by seed is 

 invariably practiced. As propagation by 

 seeds refers more usually to ornamental 

 plants cultivated under glass, we will briefly re- 

 late our own practice, which we have greatly 

 improved during the past few years, and in 

 which we have obtained almost unfailing sat- 

 isfactory results. We have found that seeds 

 sown in shallow boxes, from one and a half to 



PEO 



two inches deep, can be given a far more uni- 

 form degree of moisture than when sown In 

 earthern flower-pots or earthen seed-pans 

 made especially for that purpose. These boxes 

 are made from the ordinary soap box, from 

 four to five being made from each, with the 

 bottom boards so put on as to allow free 

 escape of moisture, though, of course, not so 

 wide apart as to allow the soil to wash 

 through. If wanted in large quantities the 

 boxes in which sheet tin is imported is ex- 

 actly what is wanted. These boxes are filled 

 with finely sifted soil, such as has been run 

 through a sieve, as fine as mosquito netting. 

 This surface is then made perfectly level and 

 smooth) and the seeds sown on it' as evenly 

 as possible, and in thickness corresponding 

 to the variety sowed, though it must be here 

 remembered that in "union there is strength," 

 and that, if sown too thin, weak seeds may 

 fail to press up the soil if isolated too much. 

 After the seeds are sown, and before they are 

 covered, they are pressed down by a smooth 

 board into the soil, so that the surface is 

 again smooth and level. 



The seed box is now ready for its covering. 

 For the past year we have used finely-sifted 

 Moss (Spaghnum) exclusively for covering. 

 To prepare this it is rubbed through a mos- 

 quito wire sieve when dry, and sifted over the 

 seed only thick enough to cover it, usually 

 about one-sixteenth part of an inch. In the 

 absence of Moss, dry refuse hops, cocoanut 

 fibre or leaves will answer, prepared in the 

 same manner, the great object being to use a 

 material light in weight, having non-conduct- 

 ing properties, and that will thus hold the 

 moisture uniformly. Of all these, we think 

 Moss the best, and now use nothing else as its 

 sponge-like character keepp just the right 

 degree of moisture wanted. These seed boxes 

 should be placed in the open sunlight, in the 

 windows of the dwelling room, in the hot-bed 

 or green-house, and never shaded, in a tem- 

 perature running from 55 degrees to 65 de- 

 grees at night, with 10 degrees higher during 

 the day ; and if a proper degree of moisture 

 Is applied, say a slight sprinkling once a 

 week, if there is life in the seed, germination 

 is certain. As soon as the seeds are grown 

 so as to attain the first true leaves (that is, 

 the first leaves that show after the seed- 

 leavesj, they must be " pricked off "(which see) 

 carefuiiy in soft, light soil, similar to that 

 used for the seeds, at from one to two inches 

 apart, according to the kind. This will not 

 only prevent them from damping off, as many 

 of them are very apt to do, but they will be 

 much stronger and suffer less when put into 

 flower pots or replanted in the open ground. 

 We prefer to replant the seedlings in the 

 shallow boxes already described. And here 

 we again find that if the soil is mixed with 

 half its bulk of sifted Sphagnum we get a far 

 better development of fibrous roots. They 

 are more portable thus than if planted again 

 in the soil of the hot-bed or bench of the 

 green-house, though, of course, after planting 

 in the boxes these ai'e put again in the ho£ 

 bed or green-house. After the seedlings have 

 been planted in these boxes, lightly water 

 them and shade for two or three days. 



To such as have not the convenience of a 

 hot-bed or green-house, vegetable or flower 

 seeds may be sown in the shallow boxes 



