July 15, 1886. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
4 
Mad, Lucien Linden; Draciena Comte de Grnnne, Alocasia Macedoana, 
Pandanus Kerchovei, and Dracaena Mr. James Bray, from M. J. Linden. 
Honourable mention for their culture was accorded loTodea superba' 
from M. Alex. Dalli&re ; and Darlingtonia californica, from M. Linden 
Upon the same day the Soci&e Royale d’Agriculture et de Botanique of 
Ghent held an exhibition of cut Roses, at which the Judges were MM 
Dugnolle, Professor at the University, President; Chevalier Hynderick’ 
Peters (of Brussels), Closson (of Li6ge), Charron (of Paris), E. Claus. 
Ferdinand Van Hjecke, A. Rosseel, and J. Puls, who acted as Secretary 
Diplomas of merit were accorded to M. Tiberghien for his collection of 
Roses, to M. Louis Van Houtte for his collection of Tea Roses, and to 
M. Jean de Kneef for a collection of Roses. Second-class awards were 
granted to MM. Dugnolle, Ferdinand Van Hoecke, and Ktrkvoorde, of 
Wetterton ; and honourable mention to MM. Fernand Vanderhaegen j 
Leon Halkin of Brussels, and Mad. Ad. D’Haene. 
- A series of twenty-six beautiful hand-coloured paintings of 
Australian Wild Flowers by Miss Hammond is exhibited in the 
Victorian Court of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition at South Kensing¬ 
ton. They represent fifty-five species of plants, all admirably executed, 
and those who wish to obtain an idea of the numerous beautiful Australian 
plant 3 , comparatively few of which are seen in British gardens, should 
look for this exhibit. 
- The July number of the Botanical Magazine has illustrations 
of the following plants T. 6883, Myrmecodia Beccari, a native of 
tropical Australia, which Sir J. D. Hooker says is “ One of the most 
singular plants ever imported in a living state into this country, and it 
belongs to a genus, or rather to one of a group of genera of epiphytic 
Rubiaceie, which have been long known from their singular habit of 
forming often spinous tubers of great size, the interior of which is 
galleried by ants of various species, and of which insects these are the 
native homes.” Several genera, such as Myrmepbytum, Myrmed ma, 
and Hydnophytum belong to the same family and possess a similar habit, 
while of Myrmecodia eighteen species have been described, M. Beccari 
having being sent to Kew by Messrs. Veitch & Sons in January of the 
present year. 
- In t. 6884 is shown Aristolochia longifolia from Hong- 
Kong, where it was discovered by Col. Champion in 1847. It was sent 
to Kew by Mr. E. Fird in 1882, and flowered in March this year. The 
perianth-tube is yellowish, expanding into a “maroon brown” limb. 
T. 6885 is Galtonia clavata, a third species of the genus, with greenish 
flowers. The bulbs were received at Kew bom Cape Town in 1S79, and 
it flowered in 1881. In t. 6886 is represented a cuiious little tropical 
American Orchid, Pleurothallis B trberiana, a minute tufted plant, with 
racemes of pretty flowers, the sepals white or greenish spotted with 
purple, the petals similar but smaller, and lip like a Cypripedium, but 
solid and bright purple. T. 6887, Tulipa Kaufmanuiana, is a Central 
Asian species found by Dr. Albert Regel. It is nearly allied to 
T. Gesneriana, and has variable flowers, yellow and orange, rose and 
white, and white and purple. 
PROFITABLE GARDENING. 
( Continued, from page 373, last vol.) 
Bouvardias —As a rule those who are called upon to maintain a 
constant supply of cut flowers, whether for private use or for sale, 
rely principally upon such kinds as are more or less continuous- 
flowering for several months in the year. There may be a few kinds 
that only yield one crop of flowers, some of which I shall again 
allude to, but the majority of such are rarely sufficiently profitable, 
for the simple reason that they may be in bloom just when theie is 
least demand for flowers, or if they are sold the prices are not often 
commensurate to the cost of production. Now Bouvardias bloom 
freely throughout the winter, and with good management nearly 
till Easter, and- what is very much to the purpose no difficulty, as 
far as my experience goes, is experienced in procuring a ready sale. 
For wreaths and bouquets the white varieties are eminently suitable. 
It is true a great many gardeners fail to grow Bouvardias satisfac¬ 
torily, but this is largely owing to the haphazard treatment they 
receive. They are not suitable for mixed plant houses, and cannot 
be said to be happy either under stove or greenhouse treatment, 
being most thriving in an intermediate temperature. 
It is rather late in the year to dwell at length on the best 
methods of propagation, and I will merely mention that we obtain 
our best young plants from stout root cuttings, these being taken 
off in February or March, and near the surface of the soil. This 
can be done without either resting or shaking out the plants as 
many prefer to do, and being obtained early is a decided advantage 
as late-struck plants especially are of little service the first winter 
after, and under any circumstances I find strong plants two years 
old and upwards much the most profitable. The root cuttings may 
be either placed at once singly in small pots, or thinly in pans of 
light or peaty soil, burying them slightly below the surface. In a 
brisk heat they soon start into growth, and if shifted gradually into 
larger pots and pinched back a few times will grow into useful 
plants. Cuttings of young top growth taken off with a heel and 
dibbled thinly in pans or pots of fine sandy, will, if placed in a brisk 
bottom heat and kept close and shaded, strike root readily, and may 
be subsequently treated similarly to the root cuttings. These young 
plants are best kept in pots in size according to their vigour, or say 
either 5-inch or 6-inch pots, being grown in a gentle heat up till the 
end of May, after which well-ventilated cold frames and pits are 
suitable for them. Pinching back the young shoots of these or 
older plants should cease by the end of July or early in August, 
according to the locality, and in any case this stopping should not 
be overdone, as when the growth is rather spindly the first burst of 
bloom may be the only gathering of any value. 
When I commenced growing Bouvardias extensively I purchased 
a quantity of stocky little plants at a cheap rate, these travelling 
nearly 200 miles by goods train at a comparatively trifling cost. 
They were tightly packed in a long shallow box and were fully 
exposed. Railway officials are bound to handle plants thus sent 
in a careful manner ; at any rate they did in our case, and there was 
no charge for packing. There is no reason why nurserymen should 
be disheartened at the state of trade, but they must endeavour to 
re-model their practice so as to meet the requirements of the new 
order of things prevailing. 
After this digression I will briefly detail the treatment given to 
the old plants. Some, and good growers too, consider these require 
a brief season of rest, and their plants are transferred to a light 
position in a cool house and given less water accordingly, the plants 
being eventually pruned, restarted, repotted, and finally planted 
out in pits and frames early in June. Our plants being kept in a 
light airy position in a well-heated but unfortunately l< naturally ’ 
well-ventilated house, the old growth is well ripened long before 
pruning time, and all we find necessary is to withhold water for a 
few days, or about a week, when they are freely cut back. In this 
manner we secure flowers up to the last, and at a time, too, when 
most in demand. They are watered a few days later on, and with 
occasional syringings they soon break strongly. Before the shoots 
' are a quarter of an inch in length the plants are shaken clear of 
the soil, have their roots shortened somewhat, and are then repotted 
into as small pots as they will comfortably go into. We have tried 
shaking out and planting directly into a pit, but when first repotted 
they eventually lift more safely from the soil in the autumn. They 
are kept in an intermediate temperature till well established in the 
pots, when they are planted in a pit previously prepared for them. 
This pit, it should be added, is filled with Violets during the winter, 
these being turned out in time to admit of a few thousand Alter- 
nantheras being struck in it, and then it is entirely given up to 
Bouvardias. The soil has to be lowered considerably to suit the 
latter, being when finished off about 15 inches from the glass. No 
bottom heat is necessary, the bottom of the bed consisting of any 
common rubbish or soil, the surface compost to a depth of 9 inches 
consisting of two parts good loam to one of leaf soil with a free 
addition of sharp sand or grit. Failing a pit, good substitutes are 
spent hotbeds and frames. The Bouvardias are planted out about 
15 inches apart each way, or more or less according to their size, 
are kept rather close and syringed daily when closed early in the 
afternoon. When growing strongly more air is given, and eventu¬ 
ally the lights are taken clean off in order that the strong growth 
now being formed may also be sufficiently hard. As before stated, 
pinching back should be discontinued early, as those late-formed 
sucker-like growths will, if well ripened, yield the best and most 
blooms during the winter. Early in September, or before cold wet 
weather injures them, they should be carefully potted. I he 
compost in the pit, to which may be added a little old Mushroom- 
bed manure, will suit them, and clean well-drained pots varying m 
size according to the balls of soil and roots secured with each, ough 
to be used. Our pots vary from S-inch to 10-inch in size, and into 
these they are firmly potted. If the weather is favourable they 
may be stood under a north wall or other shady position tor a tew 
days, or if the weather is wet and cold they ought at once to be 
They commence flowering directly after they are lifted, and if 
kept in a light airy position in a house in which the temperature 
ranges from about 50° at night to 60° in the daytime they aie, i 
properly tended, bound to flower abundantly. At no time ought 
they to suffer from want of water, and both when planted out an.. 
