FLOWER GARDEN. 
14$ 
m 
CAROLINE A INSIGNIS. 
This is one of the most splendid stove plants 
in the country. It grows thirty feet high ; 
has leaves not much unlike the chestnut, but 
they are evergreen. The flower is a rich 
crimson, and the stamens are as numerous as 
those of a cactus, forming a rich feather. 
Loddige, in the Botanical Cabinet, says it 
originally came from Tobago, whence it was 
introduced by Dr. Anderson, of St. Vincent. 
It is, however, found in several of the West 
India Islands. The flower is twelve inches 
in diameter, and very grand in appearance. 
It is increased by layer and cuttings, and 
grows well in loam and peat, with ordinary 
stove culture. There are three other species, 
C. alba, C. minor, and C. princeps. 
PEACTICAi GARDENING. 
OPERATIONS FOR APRIL. THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
The Auricula. — This is a most important 
month in the culture and exhibition of the 
Auricula ; the trusses of bloom rise, perfect 
themselves, and fade. Through all its progress 
it requires care and watchfulness. As soon 
as the truss begins to grow and develop its 
pips, they should be reduced in number, by 
taking out with small pincers those least likely 
to be perfected ; but you must mind that 
seven being required for the exhibitions round 
the metropolis, and five in places where they 
are least particular, you must not reduce the 
number within one or two of what you require 
until the flowers are showing colour, and you 
can perceive which will be the most perfect. 
As soon as you can handle the pips to direct 
their places in the truss, some very fine moss 
should be tucked between the footstalks, to 
give all the pips room alike to open, for if 
they are left to themselves they will be 
crumpled, and their shape will be spoiled by 
crowding each other: the moss between the 
stalks can b^ made to throw back the outer 
pips, and thus give room to spread the inner 
ones. In trusses which originally show ten 
or a dozen pips, as soon as you can get 
hold of the smallest, and of any misformed 
ones, the truss may be reduced to eight ; this 
gives you an opportunity of removing the 
least perfect on the day of show, if there be 
one at all imperfect; for a bad one, though 
sometimes retained to make the seven, should 
never be kept to make eight. The handsome- 
ness of the truss could not prevent the con- 
demnation of the plant, so that the loss of a 
pip out of eight, even if the plant, as a whole, 
looked the worse, must be submitted to; and, 
generally speaking, seven makes a more hand- 
some truss. As soon, however, as the bloom 
trusses are ready for all these operations, they 
must be protected against the hot sun. This 
is best done with the transparent covering for 
frames ; and when the flowers, from their 
rapid growth and opening, want daily adjust- 
ing, it is right to find them a warm corner, at 
least one sheltered from the north-east winds, 
and there place them on a table, with hand- 
glasses (propped up nearly to the edge of the 
pots) covering them : this is easily done 
with inverted flower-pots, of rather a smaller 
size. An ordinary full-sized hand-glass will 
cover nine plants, but if you have plenty of 
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