270 



THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



their short lower leaves, and trimmed with a sharp knife prior to inserting them firmly 

 and singly in small pots of sandy peat soil. Plunge the pots in or arrange them on a 

 hot-bed, and be careful not to over-water. When well rooted shift the plants into well- 

 drained 6-inch pots, using a mixture of fibrous loam, peat, and leaf soil in equal parts, 



with a free addition of sharp sand. 

 Pot firmly. The plants ought never 

 to be crowded among, or over- 

 shadowed by, a variety of others, 

 but raised well up to the light. 

 Partial rest should be enforced 

 during the winter, not by lowering 

 the temperature, but by giving less 

 water than previously. "Water ought 

 not to stand in the crowns at any 

 time, as this is liable to damage the 

 hearts. If large specimens are desired 

 a shift may be given the old plants 

 soon after flowering, but the best 

 results attend the practice of annually 

 raising a fresh stock and throwing 

 the old plants away. 



2ESCHYNANTHUS. — Few plants 



are more attractive when suspended 

 in warm stoves than iEschynanthus. 

 They are not particularly well 

 adapted for affording a supply of 

 cut flowers, and that is the reason 

 probably why fewer of them are 

 grown than formerly. All are sum- 

 mer-flowering, and the best-known 

 species are M. Boschiana (Java), scarlet ; M. grandiflora (East Indies), deep crimson and 

 orange ; JE. Lobbiana (Java), rich scarlet ; 2E. longiflora (Java), scarlet ; JE. pulcher 

 (Java), bright scarlet; M. speciosa (Java), rich orange; and M. tricolor (Borneo), 

 scarlet, streaked with orange and black (Fig. 125). Propagation is effected by cuttings 



"Fig. 125. iEsCIIYNANTHUS tricoloe. 



