194 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Phloxes had now such large blooms that it would be difficult to 

 improve in this direction much more. In the olden times the 

 stems were 3 or 4 feet high, but now, as the Chiswick collection 

 demonstrated, fine specimens not more than 18 inches high 

 were becoming a very common occurrence. 



CAUSES OF FAILURE IN EUCHARIS CULTURE. 

 By Mr. W. Iggulden, F.R.H.S. 

 [Read September 26, 1893.] 



That there are, and have been, very many failures with the 

 Euoharis cannot be denied, but when it comes to deciding what 

 are the causes of these unfortunate occurrences, then a difference 

 of opinion will be found to exist. That I have formed rather 

 decided ideas on the matter is pretty well known, and if I could 

 have placed the stock of plants under my charge before this 

 meeting, it would have been equally plain that the treatment I 

 am about to advocate cannot be very far wide of the mark. As 

 it is, my word must be taken that they are in perfect health and 

 condition, the only fault being that they are somewhat " leggy," 

 owing to having overgrown their allotted space. Yet those 

 plants were at one time in a very^wretched plight, the bulbs 

 being overrun with the mite and tumbling out of the soil if 

 roughly handled. 



The mention of the word " mite " will probably at once convey 

 the idea that it is to that terrible bugbear that I, in common 

 with most other writers who have commented on Eucharis 

 failures, attribute all the trouble ; but, as it happens, I am of a 

 somewhat different opinion. Whether rightly or wrongly, I hold 

 that the mite is not the cause of nearly so many failures as 

 people think. It is rather the consequence than the cause, and 

 other insects besides mites quickly take possession of the bulbs 

 when in a sickly state. Who has not tried all sorts of remedies for 

 destroying the mite, and yet failed conspicuously in the attempt? 

 The 1 nibs have been reduced to about half their original size, and 

 then pickled in strong insecticides for several hours, and even 



