GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY PLANTS 97 



in the house. When the eggs hatch hand picking is the only effica- 

 cious means of ridding the plants of the caterpillars. 



Propagation 



Stock Plants. Selected roots for this purpose should be heeled 

 in on the bench of a house where they can be kept cool; a temperature 

 high enough to keep out frost is best. If such accommodation can- 

 not be spared the next best place is a frame around which stable 

 bedding is banked up level with the sash. Give abundance of ven- 

 tilation in favorable weather and cover the sash when there is danger 

 to the plants from frost. 



Propagating for General Crop. The ideal months for this 

 operation are April and May, as then the cuttings are in gopd con- 

 dition and the temperature is not too high to make the operation a 

 difficult one. For cutting material the moderately thick shoots 

 should be chosen, avoiding those which are very succulent, or those 

 which are weak and show long spaces between the leaf joints. The 

 short, stocky, soft growths are best, and should be preferred to all 

 others. The early flowered kinds should be given attention first. 

 Put the cuttings in the sand bed, and during the rooting process a 

 high temperature with a stagnant atmosphere should be avoided. 

 When the roots are from one-half to three-quarters of an inch long 

 the cuttings should be potted, as their roots weaken by a longer 

 stay in the sand. Put in thumb pots, using soil a little lighter than 

 the regular potting compost and obtained by adding a small quan- 

 tity of leaf soil. In this stage keep them in the same temperature 

 as that in which they were rooted until their roots show through the 

 ball of soil. They should then be removed to a coldframe, standing 

 them on a bottom of sifted ashes. As soon as the plants show signs 

 of needing a shift they should be put in 3-inch pots, and as a pre- 

 caution against hardening of the stems they should be plunged in the 

 ashes, and during excessively warm weather some leaf soil should be 

 thrown over the tops of the pots to help in keeping the roots cool. 

 Planting may be proceeded with by the beginning of June for the 

 early flowering varieties, taking care that the plants are well watered 

 before being knocked out of their pots. 



CHRYSALIDOCARPUS (Areca). C. lutescens was grown 

 largely as a decorative Palm a few years ago, but owing to its tender 

 nature it has been superseded by the Kentias. It can be easily iden- 

 tified by its yellow stems. 



