GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY PLANTS iii 



Culture. Unfortunately, it has been somewhat difficult to 

 grow in greenhouses or anywhere outside of its native habitat in 

 North Carolina. It will not grow under conditions which suit the 

 Sarracenia, Cephalotus, Darlingtonia, and the Sundews. But we can 

 now grow the Dionaea under cultivation so that specimens can be 

 produced which give larger "traps" than can be found in its native 

 haunts. The secret lies in growing the plants in glass pots, in shape 

 just hke ordinary flower pots, with a hole in the bottom. One would 

 think the glass pots would be anything but favorable to the growth 

 of this plant, but we have had the same plants growing splendidly 

 for several years. The reason is that in a peaty substance, together 

 with sand and chopped sphagnum moss, when small pieces of broken 

 pots are used, the lower vegetable organisms start growing on the 

 inner side of the pot and they keep on growing instead of dying, as 

 they would do in an earthenware pot. Someone may ask how we 

 know that the health of the plant is occasioned by the low vegeta- 

 tion around the ball of the plant. It has been proved in this way: 

 Take several thicknesses of dark paper and wrap it around the outer 

 part of the glass pot to exclude light; in a short time the low forms 

 of vegetation wiU die and the Dionaea will soon behave hke it does 

 in ordinary flower pots — it will keep in healthy growth only for a 

 comparatively short period, while those in the glass pots which are 

 exposed to the light are always healthy. 



Propagation. Seeds can be made to germinate under a bell-jar 

 on a moist, sandy soil which contains finely chopped sphagnum moss. 



DRAGiENA. Certain plants known as Dracaenas are found 

 under Cordyline. There are a great number of species of Dracaena 

 cultivated, and especially D. Godseffiana, D. fragrans, D. Goldieana 

 and D. Sanderiana. There are a number of varieties of D. fragrans 

 well worthy of culture, namely: D. Rothiana, D. Victoria, D. Lin- 

 denii, and D. Massangeana. D. fragrans, the most useful of the 

 genus, grows 12 feet high, but small specimens are well furnished 

 with leaves. The plants will stand much rough usage. D. Lindenii 

 and D. Massangeana, variegated forms. In propagating, when the 

 stems have leaves, cut into lengths with a leaf or two to each, and 

 root hke ordinary cuttings. These make stock plants. Long, leaf- 

 less stems should be cut into lengths of about a foot and buried in 

 warm sand and moss. They sprout freely; the sprouts should be 

 taken off and rooted afresh before potting. The plants need slight 

 shade in Summer. All three require abundant root room and well 

 enriched porous soil, otherwise they wiU show a sickly yellow hue 



