284. 



THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



stand them on a gentle hot-bed till well established. "When old " unworked " stems are 

 cut down to near the soil the roots nearest the surface will in some instances push up 

 shoots, and these can be separated from the parent plant, and treated similarly to 

 those obtained from root cuttings. 



If the leafy stems of A. Guilfoylei and A. reticulata are cut up into lengths of 

 2 inches, inserted deeply in pots of sandy peat, and plunged in a propagative frame or 

 otherwise given the benefit of bottom heat and a close covering of glass, many of them 

 will emit roots. When well established in 3 -inch pots these plants are suitable for 

 heading back to within half an inch of the soil, and for grafting with small tops of 

 A. leptophylla, A. Veitchi and A. V. gracillima. The old-fashioned cleft grafting, the 

 stock a and scion b being prepared as shown in Fig. 130, answers well. In most instances 

 the stock will be found considerably thicker than the scion, and in order to be certain 

 of success in grafting, the inner barks of stock and scion must be fitted together at one 

 side only as shown at c, in the figure. Bind neatly with raffia, and cover with grafting 

 wax to exclude the air. Close, moist heat is needed till the union has taken place, after 

 which a light position may be assigned the plants, removing the wax, also the tying 

 material before this cuts into the wood. Shift into 5-inch pots when more root room 

 is needed, using a mixture of loam, peat, and leaf soil in equal parts, adding crushed 

 charcoal and silver sand. Plants obtained from root cuttings and suckers can also, 

 when strong enough, be headed down and grafted. 



An ordinary stove temperature suits tropical Aralias ; and at no time ought the 

 plants to suffer through want of moisture at the roots. Nor ought they to be unduly 

 exposed to cold winds in the course of transit to a dwelling-house, or while they are 

 kept there, as these occurrences lead to an early loss of the lower leaves and general 

 disfigurement. Crowding the plants among other kinds is also a mistake. Brown 

 scale and mealy bug are very liable to become established on Aralias. Careful 

 sponging with hot soapy water is the safest remedy. 



ardisia. — Former generations of plant-growers attached more value to the berry- 

 bearing Ardisias than do the present-day gardeners. This loss of popularity is a matter 

 for regret, as, when well grown, they are distinctly ornamental and serviceable fruit- 

 bearing shrubs. A. crenulata, Mexico, produces numerous whorled panicles of white 

 flowers from a single erect stem, and these are followed by clusters of coral-red berries, 

 which not unfrequently remain on the plant till successional crops of berries, higher up 

 the stems, are ripening. The white-berried form, A. c. alba, is much less ornamental, 



