FUCHSIA. 



95 



FUCHSIA. 



The Fuchsia was named by the French botanist 

 Plumier in honor of the celebrated botanist Leonard 

 Fuchs, author of Historia Stirpium, in 1542. It 

 ranks among the most beautiful plants of the tem- 

 perate flora of Mexico and Chili, and was first in- 

 troduced from the latter country in 1788. In 

 South America they attain the size of trees. It is 

 an admirable house plant, easily cultivated with fine 

 foliage and a profusion of graceful pendulous flow- 

 ers, having a wide diversity of coloring In the dif- 

 ferent varieties. The Fuchsia naturally blooms in 

 summer and autumn, but can be made to blossom 

 abundantly in winter and spring, and indeed with 

 proper management, nine or ten months of the 

 year. The double Fuchsias are not free winter 

 bloomers, though some of their varieties are most 

 beautiful, and if their buds are pinched off through 

 the fall will bloom as early as January. 



SOIL, WATERING, TEMPERATURE AND PROPAGATION. 



Fuchsias need a light rich soil of equal parts 

 sandy loam and leaf-mold, to which should be added 

 a little well-rotted manure. 



They should have an abundant supply of water, 

 with good drainage. If allowed to become too wet 

 or too dry the buds will drop. 



A moderatelv moist atmosphere is congenial to 

 this plant, with a temperature of from 50 to 65 de- 

 grees. Thev can be grown in an east, west, or even 



