96 PLANT CULTURE 



the rooting process; but this operation is somewhat difficult after 

 the middle of July. Too much shade will cause damping and too 

 little favors wilting, so close observation will be necessary to hit the 

 exact conditions. The single leaf cuttings are easiest to root at this 

 season. If the sand be rough grained and free from foreign material, 

 have the leaf with the under surface lying flat on the sand. Keep 

 the plants shaded for some time after they are planted out. Very 

 short stems are only avoided by supplying conditions favorable 

 to growth. 



Specimen Plants. These are not grown so much as they were 

 a few years ago, owing to the demand for pot plants beyond a cer- 

 tain size being very limited. Plants which can be sold at a moderate 

 figure give the best results, and for this purpose they can be grown 

 with very little attention, compared with pot-grown specimens, if 

 they be planted out in the field, and attention given them occasion- 

 ally during dry weather with water and the cultivator. Pinch to 

 produce bushy plants. The number of times that pinching should 

 be done must be governed by the kind of plant wanted; if only a few 

 stems one pinching may be sufficient. In September the plants 

 should be transferred to suitable sized pots. If protected from the 

 sun and given a moist atmosphere for a few days after the transfer 

 they will show no bad results. Plants for pots are also grown on 

 benches which have been occupied during the Winter by Carnations. 

 They are lifted and potted in time so as not to interfere with the 

 housing of field-grown plants of Carnations. In either case May is 

 early enough to start the plants. Specimen plants of the largest 

 size are started from cuttings as early as December, and from that 

 time on till the end of January. The cuttings should be fairly 

 strong, and either put separately in thumb pots or rooted in the sand 

 bed. The plants must never be allowed to go to rest, and should 

 be kept in healthy vigor from the start. During the \Mnter a posi- 

 tion near the glass, in a house running north and south, suits them 

 well. The best plants are grown in the house from start to finish; 

 but in this case they take a large amount of space. 



Insects. The kinds which are troublesome are small in number, 

 but their representatives are numerous enough. There are several 

 species of aphis, which attack the young shoots; these pests must 

 be combated with tobacco in any of its forms. Grasshoppers are 

 also troublesome, and they must be attended to individually. 

 Caterpillars are best prevented from appearing by catching the 

 perfect insects in the shape of moths and butterflies as they appear 



