ANNUALS 231 



to injury when the ball is removed. Twelve inches apart is a suffi- 

 cient distance to plant. They will stand more neglect than most 

 other plants. A sharp lookout should be kept for insects on the 

 foliage. The soil should be rich and about 6 inches deep. They 

 are at their best in a cool house with full exposure to the sun. 



MESEMBR YANTHEMUM (Fig Marigold) . M. cryslallinum 

 is the Ice Plant, and has ghstening pustules upon its leaves resem- 

 bling ice; besides this the plants bear small white or blush flowers. 

 M. pomeridiimum and M. pyropeiim are attractive flowering annuals. 

 The pretty little variegated Ice Plant, known under the name of 

 M. cordifolium variegatum, has a habit of damping off in the propa- 

 gating bed when treated like the majority of bedding plants. A 

 way to circumvent this is to prepare shallow boxes of sand and leaf 

 soil. Give one good watering previous to putting in the cutting. 

 Let the boxes stand for a few hours, put in the cuttings quite close 

 together and stand them on a bench over the heating pipes. Give 

 no more water till rooted; that is, if the soil does not become too 

 dry; in this case the cuttings should not be watered with a sprinkler. 

 This variety is one of the prettiest of dwarf bedding plants, and 

 should be more commonly grown. 



Propagation. The annual kinds should be sown indoors be- 

 ginning of March. Cuttings of the perennial kinds should be rooted 

 from cuttings in Autumn. 



MIRABILIS (Marvel of Peru, or Four-o'Clock). M. 



Jalapa has tuberous roots, and in Winter may be stored in the 

 same way as the roots of the Dahlia, or raised annually from seeds 

 sown indoors. The flowers are very showy, of various colors, prin- 

 cipally yellow, crimson, red and white. 



NICOTIANA (Ornamental Tobacco). The Nicotianas are 

 grown for their attractive and fragrant flowers. N. alata {affinis) 

 and N. SandercB are popular species, with pink or white salver-form 

 flowers. 



Propagation. The seed is very fine and is best sown indoors 

 early in the Spring. Cover the pots with glass, but do not cover the 

 seeds with soil. 



NIEREMBERGIA (Cup Flower). N. frutescens, a blue sort, 

 and N. gracilis, a white flowered species, are principally used in 

 large vases, but they make exceedingly showy plants for the rock 

 garden and border. N. rivularis is useful for dry banks, but is diffi- 

 cult to eradicate when it once gets a start. 



