348 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 3,1894. 
former position of some thirty year* ago. But there is another point 
in its favour which makes it most useful, and that is the freedom 
with which it can be grown and flowered in small pots, for the greater 
number of the plants above mentioned were in and 5-inch pots, and 
on that account useful for decorative purposes. 
The cultivation of this plant is not so difficult as many persons 
would appear to make it, and where there is a careful man in charge 
there will be very few failures. The end of March or the beginning of 
April is a good time to commence propagating. Have some clean 
4-inch pots, and carefully crock them to half the depth of the pot. 
Some good fibrous peat and sharp silver sand is a good compost in 
which to root the cuttings. The rougher portions should be placed on 
the crocks, then fill nearly level with the rim, make moderately firm, 
and give a sprinkling of sand on the surface. Then with a sharp knife 
take cuttings about inches long, and if they can be obtained with a 
heel so much the better. A pot of the size I mention will hold nine 
cuttings comfortably, and these should be dibbled carefully in. Water 
through a fine rose and remove to a propagating pit, taking care to 
shade from the sun. In a month or five weeks they will be ready for 
potting, the same compost may be used, and pots 3 inches in diameter. 
After potting remove to a genial temperature, keeping the plants near 
the glass, shading from strong sun and pinching the growths 
frequently. When these small pots become filled with roots others an 
inch or so larger ihould be given, but as I said before the plants flower 
very well in small pots. When well rooting in the fresh soil the plants 
should be removed to a cooler house, where, with careful watering, 
they will give ample compensation for all the trouble in growing them. 
The plants may be grown into larger specimens by affording much the 
same treatment as one would give Heaths. 
Plumbago rosea. 
Often as Plumbago capensis may be seen, it is by the merest chance 
that one meets with the charming variety rosea, which is useful for 
growing in a warm house or stove during the winter months; Its culti¬ 
vation is of the simplest character, and I feel certain that anyone 
cultivating it for the first time will soon make satisfactory progress. 
The old plants as they go out of flower should be pruned, and if 
kept in a moist house and syringed they will soon make fresh growth. 
When the shoots are from 3 to inche* long they may be taken off, and 
half a dozen placed in a 4-inch pot, using soil of a sandy nature. A 
slight watering, and they are ready for removal to a warm house or 
propagating frame, where they will, in such a place as the latter, be 
ready for potting in about three week*. Four-inch pots are suitable 
size for the first potting, using two parts leaf mould, one loam, and one 
silver sand. Keep them in a brisk heat, being careful in the watering 
until the roots are forming freely, and shade from strong sun. 
When the roots fill the small pots remove to others 6 inche* in 
diameter, and these will be found convenient in which to flower them. 
For this potting the compost should consist of three part* good flbry 
loam, and a remaining part dried horse droppings and sand. Until the 
plants are established in this compost a genial temperature is 
best for them, and as the weather becomes warmer they may be kept in 
a warm pit, a month or so in a cooler frame adding much to the strength 
of the plants. About a couple of pinchings of the points of the shoots 
will prevent flowers appearing until wanted, and weak liquid manure 
twice a week will be of much assistance. About September remove to 
an intermediate house, when in a short time they will commence to push 
their pleasing spikes of flower, which cannot fail to be admired, and 
which will continue in good condition for two or three months. For 
later blooming during the winter useful plants may be grown from 
cuttings rooted at the end of June, keeping them growing, and giving 
one pinching of the shoot* insteal of two during the summer. 
Thyrsacanthus rutilans. 
If there is one plant more than another that has dropped out of 
cultivation it is the useful and ornamental Thyrsacanthus rutilans. Yet 
it is worthy of being grown by all, for it adds a pleasing effect to any 
stove by reason of its quaint drooping flowers, which are of a peculiar 
shade of red. Where decorative work is carried out to any great extent 
some fine heads of bloom interspersed with other flowers add a pretty 
effect by gaslight. The beginning of March is a good time to commence 
propagating, and if shoots 3 or 4 inches long can be secured there is little 
fear of any failure in rooting them. Some sandy soil, leaf mould, and 
sand will do well for the cuttings, inserting four or five round the sides 
of a 4-inch pot. Water carefully, and remove to the propagating house, 
where, if kept shaded, they will soon root. 
When rooted place singly in 4-inch pots, using a compost of fibrous 
peat, loam, and sharp silver sand, keeping to the same temperature, and 
when the plants are taking to the new soil see that they do not suffer 
from want of water ; frequent syringings will keep the foliage free from 
thrips and spider. At that stage the plants will need their points pinch¬ 
ing out so as to give a greater wealth of bloom. About the end of May 
they will be ready for their final shift, 6 or 8-inch pots being very suit¬ 
able for the first season. An important point in this potting is to have 
the pots carefully drained, for no plant suffers sooner through being 
waterlogged, the leaves assuming a sickly hue, which quite spoils them 
when in flower. The same compost may be used, and a second stopping 
about the middle of June will be found sufficient. For a time after 
this last potting an intermediate house suits best, so as to have them 
fitted for their summer quarters, the place I grow them in being a warm 
pit. Here the plants are kept well syringed and occasionally supplied 
with weak liquid manure, and of course admitting air on every favour¬ 
able occasion. Shade from the sun during the summer, or the leaves 
will soon lose that pleasing shade of green which it is so essential to 
retain. It is not wise to leave the plants in a pit much after the middle 
of September, as they are very susceptible to cold ; therefore remove 
them to a warm house, where in a short time the flowers will begin to 
expand and droop in panicle* for a length of over 2 feet. 
After flow'ering is over the old plants may be cut back, kept well 
syringed, and if grown a second year handsome specimens with 
abundance of flower will be the result; but where room is a considera¬ 
tion the one-year system is the best. Besides thrips and spider, the 
brown scale is a most destructive enemy, but if persevered with in it* 
earlier stages the sponge and water will soon exterminate it. 
Clerodendron pallax. 
This is a most attractive little stove plant, and one which helps to 
give much tone to a collection of plants. Its bright crimson flowers 
show up well against the dull green leaves, and flowering in winter and 
being dwarf in habit, rarely growing more than 10 or 12 inches high, it 
can be used in a variety of w^ays. Regarding its propagation, I may 
mention that there are three ways in which it may be increased, viz., 
from seed, from pieces of the roots, and from the young shoots. Seeds 
are freely produced, and if sown in a pan of sandy soil and placed in a 
propagating case will very soon germinate. Immediately they can be 
handled place them in 3-inch pots, using peat, leaf mould, and sand. 
Carefully water until the roots are moving, and when well established 
move into 5 or 6-inch pots, using lumpy peat and coarse sand. During 
the summer an intermediate house will answer very well, syringing well 
t mongst the leaves, or red spider and aphides are sure to make their 
appearance. Weak liquid manure given twice a week tends to keep the 
foliage healthy and materially assists the flower spikes. If grown 
from cutting* select fairly matured shoots, and if from roots any small 
pieces from IJ to 2J inches in length will soon grow, the after treatment 
being the same as recommended for seedlings. 
Urceolina aurea. 
What a charmingly quaint bulbous flowering plant thi* is, and what 
a picture well-grown plants make, bearing their singular but striking 
umbels of flower of golden yellow with pale green edge ! It is closely 
allied to the Eucharis, and the cultivation may be exactly the same 
where facilities are afforded for growing them together ; but there is 
one other point in favour of the Urceolina—namely, it may be grown in 
a lower temperature than the Eucharis. I am always certain of this 
plant when in flower receiving a favourable notice from visitors. 
The compost I use consists of rough fibry loam and coarse sand. I 
drain the pots well, and fill to about three parts with the soil. A good 
sprinkling of sand is then given, and five bulb* are placed in a 6-inch 
pot. They are then removed to the stove or intermediate house, and 
sparingly watered until growth commences, when they cannot very well 
have too much both of clear and diluted liquid manure, the latter 
imparting a deep colour to the foliage. When the flower spike* begin 
to show less water should be given, and the plants ought to be kept in 
this condition all the time they are in bloom. I may remark that the 
plant* will bear a much lower temperature whilst in bloom, a warm 
greenhouse being a suitable position, and the flowering period is thus 
greatly prolonged. It is a plant never attacked with insects, and if 
anyone has given up its cultivation, I feel convinced that to grow it 
again would prove interesting to both employers and employed. 
ABSORPTION OF ODORIFEROUS VAPOURS BY 
ORANGES. 
Among the subjects brought before a meeting of the Scientific 
Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 24th ult.. 
Dr. Bonavia exhibited specimens of Oranges, and submitted the following 
communication ;— 
Not long since I submitted to the notice of the Committee a curious 
fact connected with the tainting of the Orange pulp and juice with the 
aroma of a box containing musty damp hay. On that occasion there 
were in the box four different kinds from Australia, and all were tainted 
with this musty aroma, and remained so tainted for weeks, after having 
been unpacked and aired. On several occasions I have bought from the 
shops Blood Oranges, which left on the palate an after-flavour of Onions. 
In one instance a lot of Blood Oranges were so strongly tainted with this 
Onion flavour that they were scarcely edible. I did not observe any such 
taint in other kinds of Oranges. 
I could not account for this strange flavour in the Blood Orange of 
the shops, which, according to my experience, both in the Mediterranean 
and in India, is one of the finest flavoured Oranges in existence. 
However, with the experience of the Australian box of Oranges, I 
thought that possibly Oranges from Spain may be sometimes shipped in 
the same vessel with Spanish Onions, and stored in the same hold during 
the voyage. Thus, the Blood Oranges might get tainted with the Onion 
aroma, which would pervade the surrounding atmosphere. 
In order to verify this suspicion, I wrote to the great fruit brokers 
in the City, Messrs. M. Isaacs & Sons, and put a number of questions to 
them. They very kindly and promptly answered all my questions, 
which are rather astonishing. They said :— 
“ 1, A fair quantity of Blood Orange* are grown in the district of 
Valencia, which has also become in the last few years one of the most 
