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NERIUM OLEANDER. 



GENERAL TREATMENT. 



The Oleander bears pruning freely. To prevent 

 an injurious flow of sap sear the wounded part with 

 a hot iron. It thrives in a comparatively small pot. 

 For a plant four feet in height a tub nine inches in 

 diameter and the same depth is ample. To rest the 

 plant through the summer, and prepare it for win- 

 ter flowering, sink the pot in the open ground and 

 give it but sufficient water to keep it alive. About 

 the first of September, shift it to a tub or pot two 

 inches larger, not disturbing the old soil, and water 

 thoroughly. As soon as growth commences place 

 the plant on a sunny porch, and give weekly ap- 

 plications of liquid fertilizer. Remove before frost 

 comes, to a cool room, that the change indoors may 

 not be too abrupt. A south window is best until 

 the buds begin to open, after which the blossoms 

 will remain in perfection longer in a west window, 

 than if exposed to the noonday sun. Each flower 

 should remain perfect two weeks. The peduncle 

 or flower-stalk should not be cut away as long as 

 there is a bud at the end. These stems often con- 

 tinue to bear blossoms a year or more. The buds 

 are apt to blast in the hot dry air of rooms. Fre- 

 quent sprinkling, or immersing them daily in warm 

 water will in part prevent this. Showering is al- 

 ways beneficial to them. The Oleander in its na- 

 tive region endures the heat and drouth of an east- 

 ern summer, but blossoms in the wet season when 



