March 28, 1903. 
THE GARDEN/NO WORLD. 
283 
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Freesias- 
The flowering season of these pretty and useful bulbs will very 
soon be over ; nevertheless, if good results are to be expected 
another season, the bulbs must be treated with due considers 
tion from the time they cease flowering till the time of potting 
again comes round. 
After flowering and removing any seed pods they should be 
placed on a shelf in a late vinery or Peach house, where the sun 
can shine on them for a time, and water supplied gradually less, 
as the foliage ripens, but to withhold the water at once will 
surely prove detrimental to their future welfare. 
When the foliage is thoroughly ripened they may be shaken 
out and stored in a cool room, or may be left in their pots ; if 
the pots are not required the latter is the better plan. 
About the first week in July the first batch should be potted 
up, using a mixture of loam, leaf mould, and sand, adding a 
quantity of well-decayed cow manure, and placing nine bulbs in 
a 6-in. pot about an inch below the surface. After potting, place 
the pots in a shady position, and cover with moss to keep the 
soil moist, as water, if the soil be sufficiently damp at the time 
of potting, is better withheld until they commence to grow, 
when it must be supplied carefully, but liberally ; and when 
they begin to push up their foliage the moss should be removed 
and the pots placed in a cool, airy frame close to the glass. 
A second batch should be potted up a month later, and 
treated similarly ; the third and largest batch should be put in 
three weeks after, as this lot will not grow so fast, and place 
them in the frame along with the others. 
On the approach of inclement weather they must be removed 
to the greenhouse and kept as close to the glass as possible, 
taking care from the first to keep the foliage upright by careful 
staking. It is at this time when Freesias are often spoilt by 
placing them into a high temperature to bring them on for 
Christmas. As they are very indifferent, to forcing, this should 
be avoided, but a portion of the July potted lot could be 
placed in a warmer atmosphere, say an early newly-started 
vinery, when they will come along nicely, the others being left 
in the cool. On the appearance of flower spikes they must 
have frequent supplies of liquid manure. 
To those who have had indifferent results I would advise this 
mode of treatment, relying on the July potted batch, with just 
a little extra warmth, to supply flowers for Christmas, not for¬ 
getting-to give the bulbs due consideration after flowering. For 
cutting they are excellent; their delicious odour, not too strong, 
makes them preferable to some other flowers in season, at the 
same time ; and if cut before being fully opened they last a 
long time, opening in the water. ‘ J. R. B. 
The Pancratium. 
I am doubtful if there is another plant in cultivation that 
produces more exquisite or more valuable flowers than the 
Pancratium, and I think I am not far wrong in saying that it will 
hold its own with some of our finest Orchids. The lasting pro¬ 
perties of the flower are perhaps not of the longest , but its perfume 
and beauty certainly make good that deficiency. As a decorative 
plant it is difficult to surpass, presenting a graceful appearance 
either in conservatory or dwelling-house, and withstanding hard¬ 
ships for a considerable time without any dangerous results. The 
Pancratiums, being natives of the West Indies and around the 
lediterranean regions, should in general be treated as inter¬ 
mediate or warm greenhouse plants, although the more heat- 
loving species are often grown along with the stove plants, and 
succeed very well; but I do not find it necessary to subject them 
to so high a temperature as has to be maintained for the majority 
of stove plants. Pancratiums give very little trouble as regards 
culture, and are inhabitants of almost every garden where a warm 
greenhouse is at command, and th© ready means by which they 
can be propagated renders them general favourites. They can be 
readily propagated either from seed or from offsets. 
Seed should be saved during the autumn and sown early in 
January in, clean, well-drained seed-pans, using a light open 
compost, which should consist of loam, leaf mould, oocoanut- fibre, 
and silver sand in equal portions, water being applied sparingly’ 
as the seeds are apt to rot if kept saturated.' Pot off as soon as 
arge enough to handle into 3in. pots, afterwards plunging them 
m a nice bottom heat of about 80 degrees., where they will soon 
make rapid progress. As soon as the pots get filled with roots, 
transfer into 6m. or 7in. pots. This size I prefer to grow them in 
as long as possible, as they are better adapted for indoor work than 
i m pots of a larger size. By th© end of the second season you 
should have strong flowering bulbs. Propagation from offsets is 
also an easy method of increasing the stock, the young plants being 
grown on in the same manner as the seedlings. When potting I 
would recommend two parts maiden loam, one part good sound 
peat, the remaining part being made up of leaf mould, silver sand 
and charcoal, or finely pounded crocks, with the addition of bone 
meal, using the compost in a somewhat rough state. Shake off 
as much as possible of the sour or exhausted soil, and usa 
thoroughly clean pots. On all occasions pot reasonably firm, and 
replace in suitable quarters where a nice growing temperature can 
be kept up, with a fair supply of atmospheric moisture. 
By the month of August flower spikes should be appearing. 
These, when just a few inches high, are the better for being 
removed .to cooler quarters, a cool greenhouse suiting them very 
well at this season, the lasting properties of the flower being 
much lengthened by this removal. In this- structure the plants 
should be allowed a rest for a few weeks after the flowering season 
is over, water being carefully applied ; but on no account let them 
get too dry. Replace the plants in warmer quarters as thought 
necessary, when early in the year you will have your second crop 
of flower, but on no account remove them from this structure at 
this season. I have seen them tried in a cool house during the 
winter months, but the- result was that we nearly lost the entire 
batch. The plants will require feeding as soon as they get pot. 
bound, this being preferable to potting every year, unless where 
large specimens are required, when they can be potted on into 
larger sizes, but the smaller pots are an advantage for decorative 
purposes. 
Clay’s fertiliser is a very safe chemical to use, but where liquid 
manure can be got from the farmyard I prefer its use to any of 
the chemical preparations. An occasional application of soot- 
water gives the foliage a nice dark healthy colour. ‘Shade from 
bright sunshine, and keep the plants clean by the frequent use 
of the sponge and some approved vaporiser . Vanda. 
Chrysanthemums for Exhibition. 
In growing Chrysanthemums for show, cuttings should be 
taken in the months of December and January if they can be 
procured then. Select good strong shoots-"coming away from the 
roots of the old plant, and not the ones that are growing on the 
stems, as the former make stronger and healthier plants. The 
soil should -consist of equal parts of loam, leaf mould, and sand. 
Sprinkle a little sand on top of a compost so that a little- may 
fall into the holes when they are madp for the cuttings to be 
inserted. Put four cuttings around the edge of a 4-in. pot, press 
firmly, and settle with a little water sprinkled over them with 
a fine rose. Place them in handlights or boxes, so that squares 
of glass can be put over them to keep in the moisture until they 
have rooted. Take cuttings of all the late-flowering sorts first. 
I prefer those that are about 2in. long, so that you can grub 
them out of the soil ; if they have roots -so much the better. = As 
soon as the cuttings start to grow, the glass should be tilted for 
a day or two so as to harden them-; then taken off altogether. 
They -should then be removed from the light or box to more air 
and light, so as to keep the young plants from getting drawn. 
When they are nicely rooted they should be knocked out, divided 
up. and potted singly into 4-in. pots. Be careful not to break 
any of the roots when doing so. The soil for the first potting 
should be one barrowful of good loam mixed with one quarter 
barrow-load of old leaves, one of old mortar rubbish, the same 
of good coarse sand, and a 5-in. potful of bone meal. Pass the 
whole through a -^in. sieve ; the coarser parts of the soil may 
be put into the bottom of the pots for drainage. Press the -soil 
moderately firm with the thumbs, then place the plants near 
the glass in a cool house—a temperature of 40 degrees to 45 
degrees will suit them. Sprinkle them with a little water 
through a fine rose once a day, or twice in bright sunny weather. 
If the sun gets too strong they should be shaded, but not other¬ 
wise. Light and plenty of air are the main things to procure 
sturdy plants. 
When they are nicely rooted into the new soil, place them in 
a cold frame, as by that time the sun will be strong enough to 
admit them to have a little air through the day, but cover them 
with mats -at night in case of frost. Stopping may be done from 
the middle of March to the end of the very late sorts. A week 
later they will be ready for a shift into 6-in. pots. This can be 
done in the first week of April. Do not stop any at time of 
potting, rather do it a few days before potting, or a week after 
putting into 6-in. pots. To every bushel of loam add 2 gallons of 
leaf mould and the same of rotten manure, mortar rubbish, wood 
