242 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 30. 
wliat is of mud) move consequence, means should he at 
hand to throw off tho wet. Much wet is more injurious 
to half-hardy bulbs than cold and frost when the soil is 
dry, and placing clean sand about them is the best 
ju’evcntive. 
Brunsvioia. —All the true Brunsvigias form a very 
natural section of Amaryllis, with which they are now 
known to interbreed, establishing identity of kind. 
They have all very large oval bulbs with a short neck; 
their leaves are very broad and recumbent, or lying Hat. 
They all flower in the autumn, after resting three or 
four months, and before the leaves come, and all of 
them grow with us from October till May. Amocharis 
falcala, the Brunsdgia falcata of our Dictionary, and of 
others, diflers essentially from the true Brunsrigias —in 
resting four or five months in winter, and in not flower¬ 
ing until the leaves are full-grown. Our Brunsvigia 
ciliaris, disticha, and toxicaria. belong to a very different 
section, if not a true genus, called and Bnuis- 
vigia coranica of our Dictionary is an Amocharis, and 
cannot be determined from A. falcata, unless the two 
were in flower together. Coranica is figured in the 
Botanical Register, and called an Amaryllis, which 
is very probable; but the fact has not been yet proved; 
at least not to our satisfaction. Buphane can hardly 
be an Amaryllis ; yet we have seen so many barriers of 
generic distinctions broken down in these plants, that 
the wisest cannot say with certainty which is, and which 
is not, a proper limit to tho genus, in the absence of 
natural experiments in crossing them. Therefore, in 
treating on all the species under Brunsvigia, as they 
stand in the Dictionary, I shall notice their sections 
within brackets, and explain their cultivation separately 
under each species. D. Beaton. 
{To he co)itinne(J,) 
SOFT-WOODED, WINTER-BLOOMING, GREEN¬ 
HOUSE TWINERS. 
Tropojolum Lobbianom. —Most of our readers are 
well acquainted with the Indian Cress family, from the 
hardy annuals, commonly, though improperly, named 
Nasturtiums, with their large showy flowers, and large 
round, pellate leaves; to those more tender, tuberous 
Ivinds, such as tricolorim, in which the flowers are 
beautiful and well seen, though small, and more or less 
hand or finger-like divided. The species I have named 
above was introduced, some eight years ago, by Mr. 
Lobb, from Columbia, and may be said to hold a middle 
place in the group , the plant, when vigorous, having 
large pellate foliage, and, comparatively speaking, small 
flowers. What should be aimed at, therefore, is to make 
its reddish-orange flowers as numerous, and the foliage 
as small as possible. For real usefulness this plant is 
second to none of the family, while, if a few simple 
matters are kept in view, it will stand roughish treat¬ 
ment, and thank you for it too. As an ornament for the 
greenhouse, in winter, few things will beat it. I was 
delighted with it several years; and though, like many 
other good things, it has been set aside for a time, I 
intend to give it a niche next season. To save annoy¬ 
ance, I may mention, I never could please myself with 
it, unless for winter and spring blooming, though I have 
tried it many ways out-of-doors during the summer; 
planting it out in the open ground, so that it might run 
up a post, or along a chain ; potting it in poor, sandy 
soil, and even cutting the roots to prevent luxuriance, 
and cutting off wliolo masses of the larger foliage; but 
do what I would, the few flowers that showed them¬ 
selves, long-stalked as they were, were too much hid by 
the luxuriant foliage. Under such treatment, however, 
it showed itself to be a hardy annual, as the seeds that 
were self-sown came up as vigorously the following j 
season as the common Tropoeolum- major generally does. I 
I might say, therefore, that the plant is truly valuable ' 
only for winter-flowering. ] 
“Flow must I treat it best for that purpose?”— 
It is easily propagated. Seeds sown in a slight heat : 
in April or the beginning of May, will vegetate , 
freely. Cuttings taken oft' about the same 2 )eriod | 
will answer equally well, or rather better; but, how- ! 
ever raised, the plants will soon become vigorous 
enough. If raised from cuttings, place the cuttings 
in sandy soil, round the sides of the pot; and place 
it in a shady place, under glass, and in a little extra i 
heat, if previous to June. You may cover with a \ 
bell-glass, but take it oft’ partially, or wholly, at night, 
or the succulent shoots will damp. As soon as rooted 
and growing, whether jilants or cuttings, let them be 
potted oft’ in four-inch pots, kept close and warm, to 
encourage growth, and shifted into a size larger pot, as 
soon as the first is filled with roots, and keep close 
again, until growth is freely progressing; and then 
give air, gradually at first, and then freely; until by 
the beginning of August, at farthest, tho ])lants may 
stand in the open air, fully exposed to all the sunshine 
they can get. Previously to that, however, they should 
have received their last shift. A pot eight inches in 
diameter will be large enough to fill a globe trellis 
three feet high and two feet in diameter. To mount a 
column, and span a wide arch in a conservatory, a pot 
nearly double the size would be necessary; for inter¬ 
mediate sizes act accordingly. The soil during the 
whole growing period should be light sandy loam, with 
a dusting of leaf mould and charcoal. When the lux¬ 
uriance is gone, and the plant is showing profusion of 
bloom, manure-waterings, or a good top-dressing of old 
cow-dung and charcoal will be gratefully received. 
Whether grown for an arch or a trellis, one shoot will 
always be better than many. If for an arch, it should 
be taken up a stake, and then on a cord fastened to the 
top of a wall or pole, and then moved and fastened to 
the arch in September, and the shoot stopped when it 
has nearly filled the allotted length. Manure-waterings, 
and removing by degrees the larger leaves, will cause 
the side-shoots to grow freely; and then these dangling a 
yard in length, and covered with bloom, the leaves being 
little larger than a sixpence, few things are more beau¬ 
tiful. One of the finest things I ever saw in this way 
was produced from the Maurandya Barclayana, but 
then, so grown in a house, its beauty was gone by 
August, when it, and such other things, might well be 
succeeded for three or four months by this Lohhianum. 
As a trellis-plant, however, it will be chiefly used. By 
the time its one shoot has reached two feet in length, 
begin to train it round, each turn being about six inches 
from another, having the point of the shoot looking 
upward to encourage growth. When thus it reaches 
the top of the trellis, let it he trained a little back again, 
and then stop it. Ere long, not only from the base, but 
all over from the axils of the leaves, young shoots will 
peej); jilenty of water must then be given, and full ex¬ 
posure. At short intervals, a number of the larger 
leaves should be removed. Do not be afraid in the 
matter, as we are not thinking of getting larger roots, 
but a profusion of bloom, with smaller foliage, and with 
ju'oper watering, there is enough of succulence in the 
stems to prevent all danger if you do not go to great 
e.xtremes in thinning. The plants should be housed by 
the end of September. During winter you will see the 
propriety of removing at the right time the larger leaves, 
as for several months you will scarcely see a green part, 
owing to the dense thicket of blooms. The flowers arc 
useful for nosegays, owing to the great length of their 1 
flower-stalks. I have deemed it right to chronicle tliese j 
little matters, as though the plant is of little pecuniary | 
