156 
experience proves this to be wrong especially so in the case ol 
annuals. 
Cannas. 
Among flowering plants suitable for either pots or beds there 
are few that grow so freely or flower so continuously as Cannas 
and no plant has been improved so rapidly under the hybridizer’s 
hand. Every year brings out a new set an improvement in some 
one or more direction on their predecessors. A dwarf habit com- 
bined with large flowers are the two points that have been main- 
ly aimed at and the result is marvellous. Until 1892 the only 
canna grown here was the one with small red flowers (Canna 
edulis), but in that year we introduced from England some of the 
best hybrids and have continued to add each year a few of the 
best new ones. Of the forty or fifty varieties introduced among 
the best are Koningen Charlotte, Madame Crozy, Comte sse d’ 
Estol, Epi d’Or, Paul Bert, Mons. Corbin, Paul Liguist, Premises 
de Nice, Countess Elgin and George King. The two latter were 
raised in India and are equal to the best of those from Europe. 
Propagation is best effected by division of the roots as they can- 
not be relied on to come true from seeds. The main require- 
ments for cultivation are plenty of manure, leaf-mould and 
water and the removal of the* stems as soon as they have done 
flowering to make room for the young ones to come up in exact 
ly the same manner as is done in bananas. As soe as the pots 
become crowded with roots divide them and plar afresh. They 
do best during the rainy season, when flowe are, as a rule, 
scarcer than at any other time, and are t 1 nefore invaluable. 
On Government Hill, where the temperature is lower than that 
of the plains, the colours become brighter but otherwise they do 
not do better in any way. 
Bulbs, Tubers, &c. 
Much of the difficulty, in fact in many cases the impossibility 
of growing some plants is the want of a winter or resting season 
but in the case of bulbous or tuberous roots, especially whe 
grown in pots, this is not so great an obstacle, as the necessary 
rest can be obtained by withholding water and placing the pots 
in a position where they will not get the rain. Gloxinias, Achi- 
mines, Amaryllis, Haemanthus, Arisaemas, Caladiums, Dahlias?, 
&c., may all be treated in this manner. When they have com- 
pleted their season’s growth which is seen by the foliage begi: - 
ning to get yellow and unsightly, place them where they do not g t 
the rain, gradually reduce the amount of water and' eventually 
stop it altogether. As soon as the foliage has quite died off, the 
root may be turned out, with all the soil knocked off, and stored 
in dry sand for three or four months. Examine them now and 
then to see whether they are beginning to grow, and if so it 's 
best to pot them. In potting put a tablespoonful of dry sand 
directly under and around each bulb, which will prevent them 
from rotting, and do not water them for some days as the mois- 
ture in the soil and in the bulb is sufficient to give them a start. 
