146 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
exaggeration, that it was the finest specimen, the best 
grown, and had the greatest number of blooms of any 
plant of the kind I ever met with. It was four feet 
high and as much through, and had no less than seven¬ 
teen large spikes of its beautiful flowers in high perfec¬ 
tion. I was so much gratified with it, that I cannot 
refrain from writing about it, and doing justice to the 
skill displayed by Mr. Sparrow in cultivating it to such 
a high state of perfection. I am quite certain there 
will not be a finer specimen exhibited anywhere this 
season. 
Description .—The credit of introducing such a noble 
ornament to our stoves is due to Messrs. Veitch and 
Son, of Exeter. It was collected for them by Mr. Lobb, 
in Java, and was introduced to this country in 1848. It 
is a noble, evergreen, shrubby, stove-plant, with com¬ 
pressed square stems, winged at the angles, and with 
short bristles at the joints. The leaves are very large, 
almost a foot long, placed opposite each other. They 
are of an oblong heart-shape, clasping the stem, stout 
and leathery, and rather wrinkled. The flowers are 
produced at the ends of the shoots in drooping panicles 
more than a foot long. The branches of the spikes are 
in whorls, with numerous, large, many-nerved bracts of 
a pleasing rose-colour. As the spikes advance in growth 
the bracts reflex and drop off early. The buds are very 
handsome and of a deep, glossy rose-colour. The 
flowers are very densely placed on the panicles, and the 
spike has a considerable resemblance to a long bunch of 
small rose-coloured Grapes. This is but a faint descrip¬ 
tion of this fine plant; to fully understand and appreciate 
its beauty it must be seen. 
Culture .—As the blooms of this plant are pendant, it 
is evident that the close bush system of growing plants 
will not suit it, inasmuch, as then many of the spikes 
will be*concealed amongst the stout branches and large 
leaves. Mr. Sparrow, at Moor Park, fully comprehended 
this, and therefore has trained the plant under his care 
standard fashion, pruning away tire lower branches, 
leaving the stem bare between two and three feet, and 
then allowing the branches to grow and spread them¬ 
selves on every side. The effect of this judicious 
management is excellent. Every panicle is seen 
hanging down gracefully, clear away from the large 
leaves. Every one possessing a plant of this kind 
should immediately adopt the same method of train¬ 
ing. The only possible objection is the space such 
a plant so trained would occupy; but it is so noble 
a plant when in flower, and the leaves are so large, and 
of such a rich green all the year, that it is really 
worthy of all the room it requires. Supposing, then, 
that objection 'is considered no objection at all, and it 
is determined to procure a plant and grow it well; 
let the plant be purchased in the summer months, so 
that it may travel safely. If possible, get a plant with 
one stem, and proceed to re-pot it as soon as it has 
recovered the effects of the journey. As it is a rapid 
grower, it requires a rich, good soil composed of two 
parts good, fresh, turfy loam, fibrous peat, well decom¬ 
posed hotbed dung, and vegetable mould in equal 
parts, well mixed, but not sifted, with a free addition of 
sharp river or silver-sand, to be used well aired, and 
neither wet nor dry. It does not require such an 
extremely large pot. The specimen alluded to above 
was in an 11-incli pot. The first shift should be into 
a pot two sizes larger than the one it is in when ob¬ 
tained. To ensure speedy growth it would be advan¬ 
tageous to plunge the pot in a mild bottom-heat of 
either tanner’s bark, or leaves—the latter to be preferred 
when choice can be made. As the plant grows, and 
sends forth side-shoots, these should be pruned off, 
leaving the leaves to draw up the nutriment from the 
roots, and perform the other functions of absorbing 
carbon, &c., to give solidity to the stem. If the plant 
May 29. i 
makes rapid progress, a second potting might be given 
towards the end of July. 
Watering .—As this plant has such a large surface of 
leaf it will evaporate a considerable quantity of water; I 
therefore, it should be liberally supplied when growing 
freely. The syringe, also, should be in frequent use both ' 
on the upper and underside of the leaves, to allow free : 
egress and ingress to the health-giving gases. The soil i 
should be frequently stirred on the surface, to admit 
water and air to the roots. The heat it requires is 70° 
to 75° in summer, and 60° to G5 Q in winter. With this 
management it will flower the second year, but if a fine 
specimen is desired quickly, it will be advisable to nip 
oft’ the first blooms, and encourage growth another 
season, by repotting as before. During winter, as the | 
temperature will be lower, the supply of water will be i 
less needed. In fact, like most other plants, it requires j 
a season of rest or cessation of growth to enable it to I 
produce its lovely blossoms. Sufficient water, however, 
must be given, to keep the leaves fresh and ^healthy, 
and of a good colour. 
Propagation — This plant belongs to the natural 
order Melastomaceae, all of which are easily propagated 
by cuttings. The best are the side-shoots, in a half- | 
ripened state, and with the smallest leaves. They should | 
be taken close to a joint, and put into small pots j 
singly in soil with a layer of silver sand on the top— 
the pots to be well-drained. Insert the cutting close to 
the side of the pot, and make the sand firm to the j 
cuttings. Water without wetting the leaves. If a tan- i 
bed is handy, plunge the cutting-pots in it, and j 
place a hand-light over them, making it air-tight; shade 
closely from the sun for a fortnight, and then give a 
thinner shade during sunshine. In a month or six 
weeks the cuttings will be rooted, and should then have a 
little air daily, increasing it as the plants attain strength; 
then repot them, and replace them under the hand-light 
for a few days, till they are able to bear full exposure. 
Afterwards, treat them as old established plants, by re¬ 
potting as they require it, and training them up with a 
single stem, to make them fine specimens, like the one 
at Moor Park. T. Appleby. 
ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS. 
(Continued from, page 110.) 
The grand aim of every wise man is to provide for 
that period of life when the bodily powers are weakened, 
and the mind, after a long life of active exertion, requires 
repose. A strict attention to personal propriety and 
sober habits I need not dwell upon. These are so self- 
evident, that in these reading days the least informed 
gardener understands the necessity of being steady, 
sober, and industrious; and to these indispensable 
qualities he will add that of being careful of his health 
and money so hardly earned. Supposing a young gar¬ 
dener, of, or about twenty-five years of age, has obtained 
his first place, he should immediately form a general 
plan for the future economy, or management, of bis 
health and means. Many persons, not gardeners, have 
a notion that it must be a healthy business. And, no 
doubt, before the introduction of so much forcing and i 
culture of exotic fruits and plants, when a gardener had 
only to attend to his hardy fruit and vegetable garden, 
the profession was a healthy one ; but since the general | 
introduction of hothouses there is a wide difference in 
this respect; the gardener is now subject to heats and 
colds, which are liable to bring on rheumatism and 
inflammation. Working all day in winter in a temperature 
of, perhaps, 70° or 80° degrees, and then coming out 
into another, perhaps, 30° lower; or, in summer, being 
in the ice-house, which is now in requisition in most good 
