734 



PROPAGATION AND CULTURE OF COLEUS. 



very beautiful, with its long leaves of a dark crim- 

 son, marked lengthwise with a lighter pink. D. 

 supL'rba has pendulous arching leaves of a bronze- 

 green shade, striped and margined with crimson. D. 

 a)igustifolia has leaves fifteen inches long and one inch 

 in width, the margin being of a rose color. The leaves 

 of D. Baplistii have narrow irregular stripes of cream 

 and pink. D. Goldieana is one of the most splendid. It 

 has broad leaves of a pale yellowish green, with dark 

 green markings. 



If f.''esh cuttings are allowed to wilt once before plant- 

 ing c.:d watering them, they will have suffered much 

 damage. 



Try .D have every plfcat a specimen ; it is always well 

 to aim high. 



FoRGET-.ME-NOTS ma!.e nice winter plants, but they 

 require heat. They flower best in a cool, moist atmos- 

 phere. Direct sunlight is not essential, but a little does 

 no harm. A'yoso/is disiiti flora is a very desirable white- 

 flowered variety. 



The berries from the mountain ash may be dried for 

 ior winter use, by tying the bunches together and hang- 

 ing them with the berries downwards. 



Hyacinth bulbs do well in hanging baskets. 



Ferns are rarely troubled by any kind of insect. 



Out-door Culture of Carnations. — The carnation, 

 so greatly admired by all when cultivated in the green- 

 house, may also be successfully grown out of doors dur- 

 ing the summer. The best way to grow these plants is 

 to obtain small thrifty plants, or well-rooted cuttings, 

 and set them out the first of May, or earlier if the ground 

 is dry, planting them about a foot apart. Do not dis- 

 turb the earth around the roots when transplanting, as 

 it would set them back very much. Carnations require 

 a cool temperature, and the young plants will stand 

 quite a severe frost without serious injury, but they do 



not like too much moisture. If the ground is too wet 

 they will almost surely fail to grow satisfactorily, if they 

 do not die outright, so be sure to give them as dry a 

 location as possible. The carnation should also have a 

 rich, porous soil. 



After the plant begins to show good thrifty growth, it 

 is well to pinch the tops back, as this will induce a more 

 bushy growth, and in time, more flowers. 



If a few plants are desired for winter bloom, keep 

 pinching back during the summer, until the middle or 

 last of August, and do not let the plants blossom at all, 

 until safely housed. 



The Amaryllis. — All the varieties of the amaryllis 

 are very beautiful and may easily be cultivated. Their 

 principal requirement is an alternate season of rest and 

 growth. To grow them well, supply the plants with 

 abundance of water and warmth. When coming into 

 flower place them near the glass. After they have fin- 

 ished flowering, gradually withhold water, so that by 

 the time they have finished growing, and the leaves are 

 well ripened, the soil will be quite dry, and the bulb in 

 a state of rest. 



If amaryllis are wanted for winter bloom, the bulbs 

 must be kept dry during the latter part of the summer, 

 and in the autumn, after this resi, they should be 

 newly potted in sandy loam and leaf-mould. Keep 

 them in a warm place, and when the leaves make an 

 appearance give them plenty of tepid water. By plenty 

 of water I do nc*^ mean to drench them, so that the soil 

 grows sour or sodden. 



When buying bulbs select those which are solid. 



Be sure to provide good drainage for the pots. Very 

 many people do not realize the importance of drainage, 

 and wonder why their bulbs rot and their plants barely 

 exist, and oftentimes the only reason is lack of drainage. 



Neii' York. Greta Beverly. 



PROPAGATION AND 



ID I simply intend to give instruc- 

 tions regarding the particular 

 manner in which cuttings of 

 coleus should be made, and how 

 treated subsequently, so as to 

 insure their rooting, I would 

 merely say, take a knife sharp 

 enough to cut with ease and re- 

 move a branch of any conveni- 

 ent length, paying no attention as to the particulai' 

 point on the branch where the cut is made. If at 

 a joint, all right ; if anywhere between joints, also 

 all right ; it will send out roots readily anywhere. 

 Stick the ctitting into sand or soil — sand is prefera- 

 ble, because cleaner and easily handled — giving 

 bottom heat or not, as convenient. If there is a 

 nice bottom heat, the cutting will be rooted and 



CULTURE OF COLEUS. 



ready to pot in five days ; if there is none, it may 

 take them about twice as long to emit roots. My 

 article might end here, for without exception, per- 

 haps, there is not a plant in cultivation so easily 

 propagated by cuttings as the coleus. 



What I wish particularlj .o direct attention to now, is 

 the means by which stock, from which cuttings may be 

 obtained at the proper time, can be most conveniently 

 and economically secured, and carried along until re- 

 quired. 



Generally stock is provided in two ways ; by rooting 

 cuttings early in fall, and by taking up old plants just 

 before frost comes at that season. The plan of making 

 young plants for stock has some advantages which com- 

 mend it. In the first place, it is very convenient sim- 

 ply to take off a number of cuttings which readily root 

 With very little labor, subsequently, one can pot them, 

 either singly in small pots — three-inch usually — or three 



