THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



or third year strong plants ought to be turned out of their pots, divided and graded. 

 The larger flowering bulbs may be arranged thinly in 9-inch or slightly larger pots, 

 and the smaller bulbs in 6 or 7-inch pots, eventually shifting into larger sizes. Eucha- 

 rises take more readily to their fresh quarters when the leaves are cut off ; this also 

 affords a good opportunity for getting rid of mealy bug, if any of these repulsive insects 

 are on them. 



Re-potting should be done either in the spring or autumn, not while hot weather 

 prevails. The pots must be well drained and a compost of fibrous loam, peat, leaf soil, 

 sand and charcoal employed. They are heat, shade and moisture-loving plants, and 

 succeed well under a thin roof covering of Stephanotis floribunda. Eucharises also 

 flourish when planted out in such a position, always provided the stephanotis is clean. 

 If nothing is grown on the roof, there would be all the more necessity for affording shade 

 during hot weather. Bottom, heat pipes are of the greatest assistance, confining these in 

 a chamber under the bed. Neither eucharises nor pancratiums should ever be dried 

 off at the roots to the extent of causing them to lose many leaves. After they have 

 formed a set of new leaves, and these are fully matured, a slight rest, by lowering the 

 temperature 5° to 10° and giving less water, is desirable. After this rest of about six 

 weeks, suddenly raising the temperature 10° by night and day, giving water at the 

 same time, will excite the plants into flowering. This may be done two or three times 

 in a year, the eucharises flowering the more frequently. 



During the summer and early autumn months, both eucharis and pancratium blooms 

 are plentiful in the markets, the prices then falling to Is. 6d. per dozen occasionally ; but 

 earlier and later in the year 3s. to 5s. per dozen is nearer the prices obtainable. Frequent 

 root disturbance is not advised, still shaking out and re-potting a portion of the stock 

 of eucharises in February or March causes many of them to flower soon afterwards, and 

 these crops of flowers usually pay well. Both these and pancratiums are sent to the 

 markets with short stalks only, the scapes or main stems being left till the last two or 

 three blooms are expanded. See pp. 331-335, Vol. II. 



FERNS. 



Fern-growing for the markets on an extensive scale ought to be regarded as a 

 distinct branch of a great industry. A range of low, flat-roofed, well-heated houses 

 should be devoted solely to the production of these elegant plants, the aim being to turn 

 out large numbers of the popular kinds as quickly as possible, or, say, within a year of 



