CULTIVATION AND ANALYSIS OF PLANTS. 
The Pelargoniums are natives of the Cape of Good Hope, and, like other floral impor¬ 
tations from that region, are almost hardy enough to endure our severe northern winters. 
Though they are easy of cultivation, it is better to secure good, tree-like plants, with thick 
and stout young shoots. After the flowering season is over, ripen the young wood by 
withholding the water supply; and in the fall prune back to the ripe wood, leaving only 
two or three eyes to each branch, always preserving the symmetry of the bush. At a 
window they need turning, as do all plants, to keep them from being one-sided. They 
should be repotted once or more, according to circumstances, every season in very rich 
earth, and given larger pots as the plants increase; and the larger and more bushy they 
are, the better and the more flowers they have. They are most acceptable for groupings 
and combinations of all kinds, the richness and variety of coloring lending them a peculiar 
attractiveness as house and conservatory plants, furnishing material for bouquets that can¬ 
not be surpassed in richness and beauty. Though, like so many other favorite flowers, 
they have probably passed beyond their period of greatest popularity, they can never fail 
entirely to be cherished by the lovers of choice plants. 
The method of propagation is to take side-shoots about three joints in length, the 
bottom joint being fully ripened, and cut clean and smooth underneath, while a portion 
of each leaf should also be trimmed off. They can be wintered in a cellar, the roots being 
kept nearly dry. 
(pJERRROMIR. 
UPERB among the Reseda family for the beautiful markings of the 
leaves, together with its magnificent habit of growth, the Peperomia 
^ is worthy of a place in every collection, whether within doors or out. 
It delights to grow in a still, warm atmosphere with abundance of 
moisture, as in a Wardian case, or in some shady nook of the house or 
garden. There are several varieties that have attained a well-deserved 
popularity as ornamental plants because of their foliage. They are natives 
of Brazil, and require semi-tropical surroundings, or a heat of at least sixty-five 
degrees. A compost made of two parts peat, or bog-earth, one of loam and 
one of sand, mixed with bits of charcoal or potsherds, forms a congenial soil for 
their growth. The Peperomias are low-trailing plants, spreading out laterally 
and striking fresh roots at each joint of their side-shoots. They can easily be propagated 
by cuttings of these shoots, as they are already provided with rootlets. Combined with 
Selaginellas, they produce a nice effect by the contrast of their broad, ovate leaves with 
the narrow, pinnate leaves of the other, an effect which is much enhanced by their pecu¬ 
liar markings. In some these consist of beautiful, grayish-white streaks along the lines 
of the nerves; in others these streaks are of a reddish tint; while in a few the streaks 
are replaced by silvery blotches of irregular shapes. These plants should always be 
watered with tepid rainwater, and by sprinkling or syringing only, and never by pouring, 
as they insist upon a faithful imitation of the natural process. 
