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1 
ON THE CULTURE OF ERIOSTEMONS. 
ON THE CULTURE OF ERIOSTEMONS. 
By Me. GEORGE FREEMAN, Botanic Garden, Chelsea, 
Eeiostemon, Smit?i.—Fuon Erion, Wool, amd Stemon, Stamen : peom the Wooi.i,t Stameks. 
Ifat, Ordej; RxiTAciciE. 
THE Eriostemwis are greenhouse evergreen shrubs, generally of compact habit, and much sought 
after by exliibitors of plants. They, as well as most other of the races with which gardeners 
have to deal, possess their peculiarities, which must be attended to, in order to insure success in then- 
cultivation. Some of them, particularly E. buxifoliimi, scabrum, and intermedium, are better grown 
as pyi-amids, than as dense dwarf bushes. To have them of this shape, it is necessary to begin with 
young healthy plants having a leading shoot. It is immaterial whether the plants be grafted or not; 
but the nm-serymen generally graft them, as they thus obtain more readily a supply of plants. 
If the ijlants are obtained in the sjiring, set to work with 
them immediately. Those that want repotting, should have a 
liberal shift at once into the following compost, which will also 
serve to grow them in afterwards : — Thi'ce parts good tm-fy 
peat earth, to one part silver sand, using a liberal quantity of 
charcoal, both for drainage, and also mixed with the soil. The 
pots should be well drained with potsherds ; and a Httle of the 
roughest peat, or some moss, shoidd be placed over the drainage 
to keep it fi-ee and open. Tliis is a great point in the growth 
of potted plants. After they are potted, they should be watered 
freely, and then placed into an intermediate house, if lai'ge good 
plants are wanted in the shortest space of time. If not, and 
slower growth is preferred, which is perhaps preferable, the 
ordinary greenhouse wUl do very well for them, if the part of 
the house where they are placed is kept rather close, until 
they are estabKshed in their new pots, when they will soon 
begin to grow vigorously. It is then necessary to keep the 
middle stem, or leading shoot, protected by means of a small 
stake, which, for that purpose, should be a Kttle longer than 
the shoot. If one side of the plant is inclined to grow more 
than the other, keep that side cut back a little, until the other 
side has made equal growth, and that pai-t of the plant which 
is thus behind should be tm'ned towards the Kghtest part of the 
house, in order to encoui-age it as much as possible. If they 
go on favourably, they may be syringed every fine morning, 
and a little aii' given. Bear in mind, however, that they must 
be shielded from cutting winds, which check them, and turn 
When they are growing freely, they sometimes show a disposition 
to callous up the stem ; if any sign of this should apjieai-, discontinue the syiinging, and give more au- 
until the wood gets a little hai'dened, wluch will be a kind of rest for them. After a time they may 
be examined, and repotted if they are pretty well rooted. This will give them as much pot-room as 
they will reqiure in one season. 
After this second shift, they would do best in a frame that could be kept close mitil they had got 
rooted into the fresh soil, and then raised by degrees, to admit plenty of air round the bottom of the 
plants ; for it is necessary that the second growth should be slower and more stocky ; and, to this end, 
watering over head shoidd, to a groat extent, be discontinued, that the wood may become fii'm and 
well ripened, so as to withstand the winter. The plants will at this latter season continue rooting with- 
out any growth of wood, and will be pretty well pot-bound by the following spring, when they should 
be treated in the same way as before ; and this treatment must be continued year after year, until 
they are good specimen plants, wluch will be in the tliird or fourth season. 
The stronger growing kinds may be managed in the same way, except that they requii-e more pot 
room, and should from time to time be stopped back to produce bushy growth. 
The following are the best half dozen of the introduced species : — 
£. scahnim. A dwarf evergreen shi-ub, with linear acute leaves, covered with minute asperities, 
and numerous axillary whitish flowers, deeply tinged with pink. New Holland. Introduced since 1840. 
eeiostemon intermedium:. 
then- foliage of a brownish colom-. 
