160 



CASSELL'S POPULAE GAEDENING. 



Cultivators must not, however, fall into a hard- 

 and-fast line respecting the winter treatment of 

 these plants, for although but very little water is 

 necessary, the plants must not he dried to such an 

 extent that the leaves show signs of shrivelling, or 

 they wiU assuredly deteriorate in beauty. In some 

 instances these plants after a few years will become 

 too tall for those having a small house in which to 

 grow them; this, however, need not cause any 

 uneasiness, as they are easily brought into size and 

 shape. The spring is the best time to operate upon 

 them, and aU that it is necessary to do is to cut them 

 down to the required height, place them in a pot of 

 dry soil, and there let them stand until fresh roots 

 are developed from the 

 base of the stem, which 

 will be in a short time; 

 when this takes place, g-ive 

 n small quantity of water 

 from time to time until 

 the pot is well filled with 

 roots, when the supply can 

 be increased in quantity. 



Aloes should be kept in 

 small pots, and seldom 

 require re-potting ; one of 

 the greatest mistakes made 

 Avith these plants is in 

 giving them too much soil 

 and pots of too great di- 

 mensions. Although the 

 various members of this 

 genus succeed best when 

 fully exposed to sun and 



light, they do not thrive so well when stood in the 

 open air, for under these circumstances in our 

 variable climate they are apt at times to get an 

 over-abundant supply of water, and the leaves often 

 become brown, which is a, great disfigurement. It 

 is this, more than any inability to withstand the 

 temperature, which makes them more suitable for 

 in-door life. 



The varieties of Aloes are almost endless. The 

 following are a few of the most ornamental kinds, 

 and well deserve the attention of aU plant-growers. 



A. Abyssinica. — A large and massive species; 

 leaves thick and fleshy, furnished at the margins 

 with a few blunt spines, heavy green in colour ; 

 native of Abyssinia. 



A. Afrieana. — This plant has a, cylindrical stem, 

 and attains a height of eight feet or more ; leaves 

 long and narrow, tipped with red, spiny at the 

 edges : it produces a handsome spike of red flowers. 

 Cape of Good Hope. 



A. arboreacens is a plant which, under favour- 

 able circumstances, attains a height of from ten to 



Aloe variegata. 



fifteen feet, producing many lateral shoots, and form- 

 ing a very handsome specimen ; leaves long, sharply 

 tapering from the base, glaucous, with bright green 

 spiny margin ; flowers deep red, very showy. Cape 

 of Good Hope. 



A. depresaa. — An elegant small-growing kind; 

 leaves glaucous, and densely armed at the edges with 

 spines ; spike long ; flowers red, tipped with green. 



A. ferox. — A tall grower, with glaucous leaves, 

 which are profusely clothed with spines; flowers 

 yellow. Cape of Good Hope. 



A. Immilis. — There are several varieties of this 

 plant ; it is a small grower, with dark green glaucous 

 leaves, spiny aU over; spike large; flowers nu- 

 merous, bold red, tipped 

 with green. 



A. maculata. — Leaves 

 long and narrow, bright 

 gTeen, irregularly blotched 

 with white, very hand- 

 some ; flowers not con- 

 spicuous. 



A. mitrceformia. — ^Abold 

 growing kind of medium 

 height ; leaves broad, fur- 

 nished at the edges and 

 upon the back of midrib 

 with stout spines ; spike 

 branched; flowers large and 

 numerous, bright scarlet. 



A. mitrceformia brevi- 



folia. — ^A beautiful form; 



leaves short and broad, 



glaucous with white spots ; 



edges broadly margined with white, and spinj^; 



flowers in a dense corymb, large, bright scarlet, tipped 



with green. 



A. picta. — Leaves large, deep green, spotted with 

 yellowish- white, spiny at edges; spike many-flowered; 

 flowers large, bright scarlet, tipped with green. 



A. plicatilis. — The Fan Aloe ; leaves, arranged in 

 two-ranked manner (distichous), glaucous, unarmed; 

 flowers red, .tipped with yeUowish-green. 



A. rhodacantha. — ^Leaves broad, bright green, and 

 margined with red spines ; flowers red, tipped with 

 green. 



A Sapmarta. — A handsome bold-growing plant ; 

 leaves dark green, spotted with creamy white, edged 

 with white spines ; spike branched, many-flowered ; 

 flowers large, orange-scarlet, tipped with yellow. 



A. smcotrina. — Leaves narrow, glaucous, edged 

 with white spines ; flowers deep red. 



A. mriegata. — The "Partridge-breasted Aloe;" 

 this beautiful plant is stemless; leaves thick and 

 fleshy, bright green, irregularly branched with white; 

 flowers pink. 



