68 



iardcncr's Ponthlj. 



seen specimens of it four feet high and nearly as 

 much through, and as the branchlets hung pendu- 

 lously, as is their wont, and nearly hid the pot, 

 while the top was perfectly well furnished, it needs 

 but a very slight effort to imagine what pre-emi- 

 nently beautiful things they must have been when 

 in flower, just before and about Christmas, accord- 

 ing to the temperature to which they are treated. 

 And they have been grown larger than that, and 

 particularly well, by Mr. Barnes, now of the Cam- 

 berwellNurseries, who worked his Pereskia stock so 

 that the Epiphyllum formed a diversified pyramid. 

 Of course, they must be on the Pereskia, or on 

 some equally good stock, to make them worth grow- 

 ing ; for, judging from what is usually to be observed, 

 they make about as much growth in one year on the 

 Pereskia, as they do in six on their own roots. I 

 know of nothing more tractable and more thoroughly 

 useful in the gardener's hands than a batch of these 

 exquisitely colored and profuse flowering winter 

 Cacti. When grown to a large size and well flowered, 

 no " stove or greenhouse plant" surpasses them in 

 beauty or in symmetry; but the Epiphyllums as- 

 sume a most graceful outline without any training 

 or trouble, and instead of going back when they 

 arrive at "a certain age," like the usual run of 

 specimen plants, they go on improving from year to 

 year with very ordinary cultivation indeed. Esta- 

 blished plants will flourish away, without potting, 

 for three or four years at a time, requiring only to 

 be watered moderately, and if they be top-heavy 

 from free development of branchlets, to be firmly 

 staked — which latter is best done with a few iron 

 stakes, supporting a strong wire ring or two, con- 

 cealed under the drooping mass of shoots. This, 

 of course, applies to large plants. 



As regards temperature, the most suitable is that 

 of an intermediate house or warm Vinery. The best 

 plants I have ever had to do with were in a stove 

 Vinery, i. e., a stove with Vines overhead, and 

 where they were, of course, pretty effectually shaded 

 during the summer months. But they are not fas- 

 tidious, and will flourish in any warmish house, pro- 

 vided they be on the Pereskia. They may be worked 

 on this at any height that may be desired. When 

 young, and as small standards on clean little slim 

 stems, they are unsurpassed for table decoration, 

 naturally assuming a parasol-like outline so often 

 sought in such plants ; indeed they seem specially 

 calculated for table decoration. It is astonishing 

 how quickly nice plants may be grown from grafts. 

 The other day I saw at Mr. Barnes' nursery neat 

 batches of symmetrical plants, from twelve to eigh- 

 teen inches across, just opening into flower, that 



were only grafted about this day twelvemonth. 

 They were grown on rapidly, and shifted into thirty- 

 two's during the first summer of their existence, 

 and in those thirty-two pots they will remain for 

 several years without requiring a shift, and be just 

 the very things for setting off a table. 



The Poinsettia is our great gun at this season of 

 the year, and everybody takes some pains to have 

 it nice, but it is quite inferior to Epiphyllum. By 

 the way, it should be noticed that these last are 

 often kept too cool, and that intermediate or stove 

 temperature is that in which they best flourish. I 

 would recommend that no one should be satisfied 

 with E. truncatum alone, but should grow along 

 with it the charmingly colored varieties Bridgesii, 

 violaceum, spectabile majus, &c,, and in fact any 

 other variety that may be met with, for a diversity 

 of color among these Epiphyllums very much en- 

 hances their value. — Vertumnus, in Gard. Chron. 



Skeletonizing Leaves. — The following plan is 

 by Dr. Dickson, of Edinburg: — 



A solution of caustic soda is made by dissolving 

 3 ozs. of carbonate of soda (washing soda) in 40 

 ozs. (2 pints) of boiling water, and adding oz. of 

 quick Hme, previously slacked ; boil for 10 minutes, 

 decant the clear solution and bring it to the boil. 

 During ebuHition add the leaves ; boil briskly for 

 some time, say an hour, occasionally adding hot 

 water to supply the place of that lost by evapora-" 

 tion. Take out a leaf and put into a vessel of water, 

 rub it between the fingers under the water. If the 

 epidermis and parenchyma separate easily, the rest 

 of the leaves maybe removed from the solution and 

 treated in the same way, but if not, then the boiling 

 must be continued for some time longer. To bleach 

 the skeletons, mix about a drachm of chloride of 

 lime with a pint of water, adding sufficient acetic 

 acid to liberate the chlorine. Steep the leaves in 

 this till they are whitened (about ten minutes,) 

 taking care not to let them stay in too long, other- 

 wise they are apt to become brittle. Put them into 

 clean water and float them out on pieces of paper. 

 Lastly, remove them from the paper before they are 

 quite dry, and place them in a book or botanical 

 press. 



SoLANUM Capsicastrum.— As even small plants 

 of this bear berries freely, the following hints as to 

 its cultivation may be worth attention : If good- 

 sized specimens are wanted in a comparatively short 

 time, let the young plants be introduced into warmth 

 early in spring, and as soon as they have started 

 freely into growth shift them into larger-sized pots. 



