THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 
396 
throughout the country ; but our present subject is not 
so well-known, nor cultivated so successfully, nor to 
such an extent, yet it is a fine foliaged and handsome 
flowered species, well worthy of the attention it requires. 
It has also the advantage of flowering at a time when 
floral beauty is scarce in our - stoves, thus rendering it 
a grand acquisition to our early species of blooming 
stove plants. It is, indeed, more difficult to manage, 
and, therefore, requires more skill to produce good well- 
bloomed specimens. The leaves, when healthy, are 
large, and of a deep green colour. The flowers are 
produced in terminal racemes, and are of a deep rich 
orange-scarlet colour, continuing a long time in flower. 
It has the advantage of being of a dwarf habit, hence it 
is suitable for small collections. 
Culture ■—This fine plant requires to be kept in the 
warmest part of the stove. If there is a bark-bed in it 
it will be all the better for being plunged in it up to 
the rim of the pot. The compost most suitable for it is 
loam, fibrous-peat, and leaf-mould, in equal parts, with 
the addition of a liberal quantity of sand to keep the 
soil open;'for no plant suffers more than this from too 
close soil. It is also necessary to use a good quantity 
of drainage—more, in fact, than usual; for, as we ob¬ 
served above, this fine plant requires, to grow it well, a 
little extra care and attention. In potting, throw in 
upon the drainage a few pieces of charcoal; it will be 
useful. The size of the pot depends, of course, upon 
the size of the plant. In this case, however, we recoin 
mend the use of smaller pots than is usually given to 
plants of this order. Eor a plant a foot high, a pot six 
inches wide will he amply sufficient; for less or for 
larger plants pots must be used of proportionate sizes. 
The best time for potting is in early spring, just before 
the plant begins to grow. If the soil the plant has been 
growing in previously be close and hard, so much so that 
it will not easily shake off take a small sharp-pointed stick 
and gently pick off small portions of soil all round the ball, 
being careful not to bruise, tear, or otherwise injure the 
living roots. Should the plant be sickly, continue this 
operation till the ball is considerably reduced, perhaps 
as much as two-thirds of its former size, then put in 
fresh compost, and plunge in a brisk tan-bed, shading it 
for a while from the sun till it begins to grow again, and 
is able to bear more light. This fine plant must also he 
carefully watered; not in the all-alike method too com¬ 
monly practised, but just enough for its wants and no 
more. It will bear syringing overhead when in a grow¬ 
ing state and not in llower, but ought to be refrained 
from when the plant is comparatively at rest and in 
bloom. 
Propagation. —This is pretty easy by cuttings. Take 
off the top of a young shoot, insert it in silver sand in 
a small pot under a bell-glass, in heat, and with the 
requisite attention of shading and watering, just enough 
to keep it from flagging, it will quickly root, and make 
a good plant. It is encouraging to try to propagate 
such a plant, because it will llower at twelve months’ 
old in a forty-eight (4-inch) pot, and is then very attrac¬ 
tive, with its three or four fine leaves, and a spike five 
or six inches long of its brilliant coloured flowers. 
Aphelandra Cristata (Crested A.).—Though we have 
written above highly in praise of A. aurantica, yet A. 
cristata is by no means to be despised. It is a very 
handsome species, requiring, it is true, more room than 
its compeer, yet it is, where there is space to grow it, 
even more desirable. We have lately seen a plant with 
no less than eight branching spikes of its fine showy 
flowers. The way to obtain such a plant, is to com¬ 
mence stopping it at an early age, and persevering with 
it, repotting and nipping off all flower-buds till the 
requisite number of branches has been obtained; then 
to give the last potting in the month of March, and a 
free supply of water, moderate heat and air, so as to 
[September 26 . I 
give a robust sturdy habit to your plaut; and in tbe 
mouth of September following, you will have a truly 
grand object of horticultural skill and beauty. This 
species is much easier to grow than the preceding, 
being of a more robust habit, and not requiring so much 
heat and strict attention. The same compost, potting, 
watering, and method of propagation are suitable for it. 
No stove of moderate size ought to be without these two 
really fine plants. 
Cyrtoceras Eeflexds (Eeflexed C.).—This is a plant 
of a bushy habit when well managed, with flowers much 
like the still much-admired Hoya carnosa, or, as it is 
often called, “ the honey plant.” The flowers are of a * 
creamy white, with a tinge of yellowish green in the i 
centre. They are produced in corymbs (or heads) on | 
footstalks, three or four inches long, out of the axils of j 
the leaves. The leaves are four inches long and one ! 
inch wide, of a dark green when healthy. It flowers 
freely in June and July, and is a good plant for exhibi¬ 
tion purposes. 
Culture .—It requires a warm stove to grow it well, 
being apt to have the leaves turn yellow if kept too cool; 
a heat of 60° in winter, and 70° in summer, is the right 
temperature for it. As it is like the Hoya, rather of a 
succulent nature, the compost for it ought to be light 
and porous. In addition to the compost above de¬ 
scribed for the Aphelandra, mix amongst it a few pieces 
of charcoal and small pieces of broken potsherds. This 
will keep the soil open, and allow the water to pass off 
freely. The drainage must be kept in a perfect state, 
so as to do its work well and regularly. Should the 
surface of the soil show a disposition to become mossy, 
it is an indication that tbe drainage is stopped up, and 
the consequence will be yellow leaves, poor growth, and 
poorer flowers. In such a case, should it unfortunately 
occur, turn the plant out of the pot, reduce the ball of 
earth, renew the drainage, and put it into a less pot, 
giving less water, more shade, and greater heat for a 
time, until health, and the right colour indicating it, 
returns. By this treatment we have frequently reco¬ 
vered a plant that otherwise would have perished. 
Propmgation. —This plant may be increased by cut¬ 
tings taken from the tops of the shoots. These ought 
not to be more than from two to three inches long. It 
will propagate also by leaves taken oft' with a bud at tbe 
baso. Both kinds of cuttings should be put into small 
pots, filled first with one inch of drainage, then with 
the compost to within an inch of the top, and the re¬ 
mainder with silver sand. Place the cuttings, whether 
of young shoots or loaves, round the edge of the cutting 
pot, placing the leaves inwards, so as not to touch the 
glass of the hand-light. Set them upon a heated bed, 
and the hand-glass over them. Tbe bell-glass is rather 
too close for them; where it is used it ought to he 
wiped dry every morning. Shade during the middle of 
the day; and in six weeks or two months they will be 
rooted. As soon as that is the case, pot them off imme¬ 
diately into two-inch pots; replace them under the 
hand-glass for a week or two, until they are fairly esta¬ 
blished, when they should have more air and light, and 
be managed the same as the older plants. 
T. Appleby. 
FLOEISTS’ FLOWEES. 
The weather lately has been propitious for late 
flowers. The dahlias have been excellent this year gene¬ 
rally. Wo have witnessed in the north of England, at 
exhibitions in different places, some very fine stands of 
twenty-fours, better than we ever remember to have 
seen before. We hope soon to find leisure to publish a 
list of them, which will guide our amateur and other 
friends in making a selection for next year. In regard 
to the operations necessary to be done now, with the 
