546 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



Training, Pruning, &c. — Serious mistakes may 

 be made in the training of stove plants, espe- 

 cially such as are of a climbing or twining 

 habit. All plants that have a natural dis- 

 position to upright growth, and that flower 

 from the extremities of the shoots, should 

 never be trained until their blooms are set, 

 after which they can be put into the required 

 shape. As to training in general, it is well to 

 be guided by the habit of the plant; such as 

 are naturally spreading are less likely to be in 

 any way injured by being trained in a bush- 

 like form. The greater number of plants that 

 are grown in heat may be freely cut back a 

 little before active growth commences. Plants 

 thus treated should be kept close and a few 

 degrees warmer to induce a vigorous break. 

 When the new growths are half an inch or so 

 long the plants may be shaken out and repotted 

 into neAV soil. 



Firing and Air-giving. — In the cultivation of 

 stove plants a good deal depends upon judicious 

 firing, especially in the spring. In March and 

 April the sun is often very hot when cold cut- 

 ting winds prevail; and if the fires are not 

 stopped sufficiently early in the morning full 

 'advantage of the sunlight and heat cannot be 

 taken, as it necessitates either too much shading 

 or the admission of air to keep down the tem- 

 perature, which is injurious to the young tender 

 foliage, and crippled leaves, stunted growth, 

 and the certain appearance of red spider are 

 the consequences. As the season advances, and 

 the difference between the external air and that 

 in the house is less, more air may be given, 

 never, however, in such quantities as to dry the 

 atmosphere too much. 



Watering ami Syringing. — A volume might be 

 written on this subject, so many plants requir- 

 ing different treatment in respect to moisture. 

 The condition of a plant, the size of the pot it 

 occupies, the time of year, must all be taken 

 into account. Morning is the best time to 

 give water to the roots, and the whole collection 

 should be examined daily. Syringing, when 

 required, should be always done sufficiently 

 early in the afternoon to admit of the leaves 

 getting moderately dry before darkness sets in, 

 as wet foliage with a falling temperature is not 

 good for plants. If possible, the syringing 

 should be done immediately before the house 

 is closed, and so as to catch a little sun-heat, 

 the condition to be aimed at being, say, a rise 

 of temperature 10° through closing, when the 

 syringing does most good. Manure-water should 

 only be given when the pots are filled with roots. 



Insects. — It is difficult to keep a mixed col- 

 lection of stove plants clean, the conditions 

 being so favourable to the rapid increase of all 

 kinds of insect pests. Mealy-bug, white and 

 brown scale, thrips, aphides, red spider, and 

 ants are ever at work, and must have no 

 quarter. The best time to attack them is in 

 the autumn, when the wood and leaves are 

 matured, and able to bear whatever insecti- 

 cides are used. The whole collection should 

 be gone over periodically. It is only by per- 

 severance that anything like cleanliness can be 

 arrived at. If plants get very bad, it often 

 pays to burn them and start afresh. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

 LIST OF STOVE PLANTS. 



In addition to the plants dealt with specially 

 in the chapter on "Popular Garden Plants", 

 there are a very large number of others in 

 general cultivation that require stove treatment. 



Fig. 666.— Acalypha Sanderi. 



The following selection includes both flowering 

 and foliage plants: — 



Acalypha. — Most of the species are compact snrubs 

 with variegated leaves; of these A. Chantrieri, A. Godsef- 

 fiana, A. marginata, and A. Willinckii are the best. A. 

 hispida {Sanderi) (fig. 666) is a robust shrub with large 

 cordate green leaves and numerous axillary tail-like tassels 

 of bright -crimson flowers. 



