TUB COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Januaey 25, 1859. 
2G1 
in. view in the proposed line of treatment. Smoke and 
M ash the plants so as to have them thoroughly clean. In 
the course of a week, reduce the heat to 50°, or even 48°. 
Give the plants all the sunlight possible. Give just 
enough of water to keep the leaves from flagging; Con¬ 
tinue this treatment for fully_six weeks; Then increase 
the temperature gradually to 70°, giving water in propor¬ 
tion, using it at about 80°, and giving a little bottom heat 
io the pots, if convenient. In a fortnight or three weeks, 
if the flowers are to come, the flower-buds will have made 
their appearance. If so, continue the moisture, and even 
increase the heat, until the flowers begin to show. Then 
gradually bring down the temperature to 60°, with more 
air. When done flowering, rest the plants for a fortnight 
or three weeks, by giving little M’ater, that the shoots 
may be well hardened; and then treat as mentioned be¬ 
low, in the case of plants that have not shown flower. 
In their case, the young shoots at the point will elongate, 
instead of showing the flower-bud. When that point 
is growing freely, all hope of bloom for that time is past. 
Prepare, therefore, for getting bloom in autumn. Elevate 
the plant out of bottom heat, if plunged ; lower the 
temperature to 60’ or 55°; nip out the point of the young 
shoots, to arrest growth; give no water, if the older 
leaves do not flag; expose to all the sun possible; and 
in a fortnight or three weeks cut down the plants, leaving 
merely as many buds as you ■wish to have shoots. Let 
the plant remain in the same place for nearly a week; 
then increase the temperature to 65° to 70°, and, if 
possible, a bottom heat of 80° to 85°. Moisten the ball 
gradually with water from 85° to 90°. The young shoots 
will soon break and grow, and must be thinned if neces¬ 
sary, and regulated. Every encouragement to growth 
must then be given in summer. Bottom heat as above; top 
heat from 70° to 90° by day, and from 65° to 70° at night. 
If this is persevered in, in from three to four months 
the shoots will have attained a good size ; and if the last 
year’s wood, from whence they started, was extra well 
ripened, they will show flower, perhaps, without any more 
care and ripening. But this does not generally happen; 
therefore, a ripening, resting process must be commenced 
in August and September, so that mere extension may 
be exchanged for consolidated growth. For this purpose, 
raise the pot gradually out of the plunging material; 
expose the plant fully to the sun; give it as high a 
temperature as the admission of more air will permit; 
lower the temperature at night, and give no more water 
than will be required to keep the leaves from flagging. 
The effect of this treatment is, not only to stop mere 
extension of growth at the point, but to concentrate the 
fruitful functions there, and to ripen and harden the 
shoots through their whole length. Continue this process 
for six or eight weeks, and then return the plants to a 
moist atmosphere, a high temperature, and encourage¬ 
ment to growth, and you may expect the flower-buds 
ere long to appear. When in bloom, to keep them so long, 
the plants should stand in an airy place, in a tempera¬ 
ture averaging from 55° to 60°. When done flowering, and 
cleaned, the plants will be safe at from 45° to 50° and 55°, 
and kept dry, so as not to hurt the stems. Cut the 
plants back in spring, as you would do a spurred Vine, 
and repeat the above treatment. Though the plants may 
be made to bloom at any period, yet in our climate the 
autumn and winter will be the most natural time; as 
thus we can in our summers combine the wet and the 
dry seasons of their natural habitation, and rest the 
plants in winter, when our sun is at the lowest in power. 
Cyktoceuas kefeexum, —“ Potted in peat bog, sandy 
loam, and one-quarter leaf mould. The flowers fall off 
when they begin to open.” 
Heath soil, fibry, and mellow loam, in equal parts, and a 
third part formed of equal portions of charcoal, broken 
pots, and silver sand, I should consider a good compost 
for this pretty, Hoya-like plant. If any leaf mould were 
used at all, it ought to be sneet, and thoroughly aired. 
The drainage, also, Ought to be made very secure. When 
we have seen the flowers drop, it has generally been 
owing to defective drainage—the soil getting soured in 
too large a pot, which the roots could not well occupy J 
or keeping the plants in too low a temperature, and too 
wet at the roots. The leaves being succulent, the plant 
requires comparatively little water in winter, and should 
seldom be in a temperature below 60°. Neither this BtW 
Aphelandra should be over-potted. 
Tydeas. —“Soil for such ?” They are not at all particular. 
To grow them in perfection, at times collect handfuls of 
finely aired, and sweet, decomposed leaf mould, such as 
you might collect for half an inch in depth from exposed 
heaps. Place that under cover, and expose it to the 
winter’s frost. Mix with it, in spring, equal portions of 
heath soil and fibry loam, all well sweetened by the air 
passing through it, but not too much decomposed by 
frequent turnings. These turnings are worse than mis¬ 
spent labour, though our florist friends may cry out hetero¬ 
doxy. Have the pots thoroughly drained, and some well- 
dried pieces of old cowdung and charcoal over the drain¬ 
age. Such plants do not require great depth of soil, but 
they like plenty of water when growing and blooming, 
will thank you for manure water if not too strong, and 
will gladly accept a place in your kitchen cupboard when 
their glory is gone,—resting themselves there, free front 
frost, until you wish them to start into growth next 
spring. The period of doing so must depend on conve¬ 
niences. If there was only a greenhouse, it would be 
time enough to start them in May or June. When 
started early, in bottom heat, it is as well to place the 
tubers in a shallow pan, until they are several inches 
high, when they can be placed regularly in their flower¬ 
ing-pots, baskets, or pans, into soil properly aired and 
warmed beforehand. 
Impatiens JekdoniyE. —“ What soil ? ” This is of less 
importance than general management. Fibry loam, with 
fibry heath soil, and a little silver sand, and well drained, 
will grow it well. As soon as it shows signs of growing, 
a little moist bottom heat will cause it to come strong 
and healthy. A temperature of from 70° to 85° will then 
suit it. When it comes into bloom, it will stand best in 
a temperature 20° lower than the above, and in an atrno- 
sphere a comparatively dry. When done flowering, its thick, 
succulent stems will require very little water ; and a lower 
temperature of not much below 50° will suit it. To 
thrive well, it must have several months of this quiet rest 
before it is excited into vigorous growth. Very small 
pieces will soon strike, and form excellent plants. 
Hemiandea pungens. — “ Grown in a six-inch pot, 
and kept rather dry since October. When should it be 
cut down ?” 
If it shows no sign of blooming in spring, wc should 
be inclined to prune it back freely, and grow it on rapidly, 
and expose it to all the sun and air possible in autumn. 
What say those friends who have grown this species 
successfully F 
Cantua dependens. —“ Kept rather dry since July. 
All the leaves have fallen off. The wood is hard and ripe. 
I wish it to flower in spring. How should I act P” 
This is a shy bloomer at times. I have had it nicely 
in flower by" growing it freely in summer, keeping it 
dryish and lull in the sun in autumn, and resting it in a 
low temperature, and keeping it dry in winter, the flowers 
coming with the fresh growth in the spring. I have 
by the very same method next to failed in getting 
abundance of flowers. I think you commenced keeping 
the plants dry quite early enough; but now the best 
plan would be, to continue the same treatment, keeping 
the plant as cool as possible until about March, when it 
may be placed in the warmest end of the greenhouse, 
and encouraged to grow. The flowers, most likely, M'ill 
come most freely from the points of the shoots. If the 
plant does not bloom very freely, it would be as well to 
keep it in the same pot, and just to cut back to two or three 
