THE PLANT STOVE. 
108 
flowers, and use every endeavour to improve 
on tbem. 
Fuchsias. — The chief attentions required by 
these, are to pot them as often as they require 
it, and to keep them well supplied with water, 
and air, and light : nature will do the rest. 
No plants are more easily grown, and none 
are more beautiful. Apart from florists' fancies, 
choose the following sorts for decorative pur- 
poses ; they are unequalled : — F. globosa (not 
major) ; formosa elegans ; microphylla ; re- 
fiexa ; Venus victrix ; and eorymbiflora : the 
latter requires a good deal of room, being a 
large grower, but towards the end of the 
summer becomes magnificent. 
Cinerarias. — If there are any late plants of 
this now deservedly favourite family, let them 
be shifted for late flowering ; the others, as 
they finish blooming, are to be cut back and 
set in the cold frames for the present. Look 
out for seeds of these plants, and be careful in 
hybridizing them. A new variety, called 
Conqueror, raised by Mr. Ivery, of Peckham, 
has fine deep clear blue flowers, of excellent 
form, and is one of the best we have yet seen 
of this family. 
Thunhercjias. — A few seeds of the different 
varieties of this very ornamental family of 
climbers, may be sown, to furnish flowering 
plants for the conservatory during summer 
and autumn. 
Insects. — All the plants in this house — as 
indeed are soft wooded plants generally — are 
very subject to the attacks of green fly, or 
plant louse (Aphis), which spreads very rapidly 
unless timely checked : there is no better 
plan of keeping them under, than by adopting 
tobacco fumigations. Sprinkling the plants 
with diluted tobacco liquor may be adopted, if 
the smell of the smoke is objected to. 
THE PLANT STOVE. 
Temperature, Sfc. — The temperature of this 
house may range from 55 to 60 degrees at 
night, and from 60 to 70 degrees bj'day ; 80, 
and even 90, degrees by sun heat being rather 
beneficial than otherwise. Give air cautiously, 
so as not to lower the temperature suddenly, nor 
to chill tin- plants, for now they ought to 
grow away at a rail-road pace ; and if they 
are kept thinly placed, so as to get abundance 
of light on all sides, no fear need be enter- 
tained from rapid growth. The atmosphere 
requires to be kept well moistened by throwing 
down water, and sprinkling the walls and 
oilier available spaces, in order to cause a 
\ npour to arise ; the plants are also to be fre- 
quently syringed. 
Potting. — As the growth is expected to be 
rapid, the potting of the plants as they re- 
quire it must not be neglected, for if left too 
long the plants get checked for a time; and 
as in this house a good deal of moisture is 
necessarily employed, it is more than ever 
necessary that the drainage should be rendered 
perfect. Charcoal is a fine material for drain- 
age, and also for mixing rather lamely among 
the soil, especially when anything like what is 
called the " one-shift system" is adopted. 
Insects. — Persevere in the means already 
pointed out (pp. 6, 10, 12, 51, 60,) for the 
perfect destruction and eradication of these 
pests. 
Watering. - — Most of the plants in this 
house will require constant attention in water- 
ing : indeed, all that are not in a state of rest 
must be continually looked at, and such as 
may be getting dry must be supplied with a 
greater or less proportion. Tepid water 
should always be used. 
Climbers. — Owing to the rapid growth of 
these plants in the stimulating atmosphere of 
a plant-stove, they require unremitting atten- 
tion, in pruning away such parts as are not 
required, and in carefully training in the re- 
mainder in whatever jiosition it may be 
intended to occupy, whether up the rafters or 
on detached fancy trellises. Yf hen climbing 
plants are once allowed to run wild, it is dif- 
ficult to get them properly arranged without 
their suffering some damage. 
Woody Plants. — The ligneous stove plants, 
or shrubs, may now generally be excited into 
growth, by giving them nioi'e moisture, plac- 
ing them in a warmer, and in a light position 
in the house, and potting them if necessary. 
Those which have been already induced to 
grow, must be kept growing by a constant 
supply of the same kind of stimulants. 
Ilerbaceous Plants, such as Gesneras, 
Gloxinias, &c, which are already growing, 
require plenty of water ; and if large speci- 
mens are required, they must be put into 
larger pots, being careful not to injure the 
roots. If there arc any plants not yet ex- 
cited, they should now be brought out, and 
will furnish a later supply of bloom. 
Achimenes. — Where the caterpillar-like root a 
of these plants were started in pans or wide 
pots, closely placed together, they may now be 
transplanted two or three together ; or they 
may be grown singly if preferred. Tl 
plants admit of being grown in a variety of 
ways, as, in wide pots, in shallow pans, in 
baskets, with moss or turfy peat, suspended, 
or otherwise. Beautiful dwarf SUCCessional 
blooming plants of A. pedunculala. and A. 
hirsuta, which are naturally rather tall growers, 
may lie had by planting cuttings now of the 
side-shoots, and this may he repeated at inter- 
val- during the summer both with these and 
ill ■ others. 
Bulbs. — Stove bulls, such as Amaryllis. 
Crintim. &C., should be potted, and induced 
