134 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
May, 1918 
Interesting and Valuable Informa- 
tion About Various Flowers. 
(Answers by James Livingstone, 
Milwaukee.) 
The leaves of a Sansveria Zey- 
laneia dry and lose color after 
they are full grown; in other 
words, the plant appears to thrive 
for a time and then goes back- 
ward. Cause and remedy? 
If the plant produces new leaves 
that develop satisfactory, it cer- 
tainly is in a good growing con- 
dition ; just why those leaves 
should dry and lose color can only 
be diagnosed by inspecting from 
top to bottom by a practical flor- 
ist. 
These plants are of easy culture 
providing you keep them warm 
and a moderate supply of water at 
all times. Keep t'he soil at the 
top cultivated a little to insure a 
free circulation of air, thus pre- 
venting the soil from getting sour. 
Also wash off the leaves, both top 
and bottom occasionally so the 
plant can breathe better. 
Fern Culture. 
Please give directions for care 
of ferns, — house culture. Leaves 
dry at tips. 
The trouble of house ferns dry- 
ing at the tips is not an uncommon 
one, yet in most cases it is unnec- 
essary. This watering, or rather 
teasing with water every day, 
causes the inside of the ball of 
soil in the pot to become so dry 
that in the course of time it will 
shed instead of absorb moisture. 
The following method will 
prove satisfactory. Submerge 
the pot containing plant into a 
receptacle filled with water and 
let it remain there for 30 minutes, 
about twice a week, that will 
carry them along without any 
further work in this line ; if in a 
jardiner have the pot elevated so 
the air has a good chance to cir- 
culate. Location partly shady 
during summer months. 
Asparagus. 
Give general directions for cul- 
ture of Asparagus Sprengerii as 
house plant. 
Of all the house plants none is 
of such easy culture if given 
plenty of root room. Being a 
jardiniere have the pot elevated so 
rich soil which should be kept 
well supplied with water at all 
times. Either light or fuel gas is 
its greatest enemy. After all 
danger of frost is over it is advis- 
able to plant out of doors in a 
partly shaded place. It will do 
well in either a warm or cool 
room. 
American Beauty. 
An American Beauty rose fails 
to bloom. The buds form but do 
not open ; foliage appears as if 
scalded. Cause and remedy? 
It is not an unusual thing for 
buds on an American Beauty 
plant to come blind, as the profes- 
sional grower terms it, especially 
during the dark winter months, 
when the growing vitality is at 
low ebb. 
The above case of failure to 
have good foliage may be due to 
red spider, which generally sit on 
the lower side of the leaf; would 
suggest repotting, to insure new 
root action using a fairly ric'h 
fibrous loam, and sponge the 
leaves about twice a week for 
some time, with clean water; give 
full sunlight at all times. 
Aristolochia. 
A Dutchman Pipe three years 
old has not bloomed. The plant 
appears to be healthy. What is 
the cause? 
This is rather a hard question 
to answer intelligently. The 
plant may be 'healthy and yet may 
not have attained size or strength 
enough to bloom. The Dutch- 
man’s pipe is usually a hardy and 
vigorous growing vine and is not 
particular about soil. This vine 
should have a location in full sun- 
shine, and in the writer’s opinion 
needs very little care. 
If the plant is growing too rap- 
idly it might be well to cut back 
some of the long shoots, so that 
some of the vigor might be thrown 
in to produce flowering wood. 
The writer has had the care of a 
vine for over seven years. It is 
planted in very poor soil, has 
grown very slowly, never even 
been trimmed in all that time, and 
yet has bloomed profusely every 
year. 
Cyclamen Culture. 
Give general directions for 
Cyclamen culture as a house plant. 
It is practically impossible to 
raise cyclamen from seed in the 
ordinary home, so it is presumed 
that this question relates to the 
case of fully grown plants as pur- 
chased from the florist. The 
cyclamen is one of the finest house 
plants after it is fully grown, all 
that it needs is intelligent care in 
watering and a sunny location in 
the window in the winter months, 
and it will bloom for a long time. 
When watering do not pour the 
water in the center of the bulb, or 
the flower buds and even the bulb 
itself are liable to rot. 
Do not try to grow old bulbs 
t'he second year, very few florists 
do this, as they are seldom worth 
the trouble even in a greenhouse. 
