FOR AMATEUR CULTURE 



popular Rubber Plant. It is one of the best 

 of all plants for the amateur who desires some- 

 thing for the decoration of the hall in winter 

 and the veranda in summer, as it can be grown 

 much more easily than almost any other plant 

 on the list. Its large foliage, thick and leathery 

 in texture, with glossy surface and rich color- 

 ing, is always attractive. Give it a soil of good 

 loam, a moderate amount of water, and plenty 

 of light, and it will ask very little more of you. 

 Its leaves can be washed as safely as a piece of 

 crockery, and therefore it is an easy matter to 

 keep them clean. When the plant is making 

 vigorous growth apply a good fertilizer once a 

 fortnight. If this is done it will not be found 

 necessary to make use of very large pots. 



If the foliage turns yellow there may be 

 three causes for it: The plant may not get as 

 much water as it ought to have — it may be 

 root-bound — or the older leaves may be ripen- 

 ing, in which case it is the natural thing for 

 them to drop off. 



Sometimes scale attacks it. If any are found 

 use kerosene emulsion. 



Ficus pandurata is a variety of recent intro- 

 duction. This has much larger foliage than 

 Ficus elastica, the Rubber Plant, and soon 



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