CAT 
CEN 
derably in potting, and a marked diffe¬ 
rence should take place in the supply of 
moisture as applied in summer and win¬ 
ter. The most desirable species are 
cristatum, maculatum, semiapertum. tri- 
dentatwm, and its varieties. 
CATHARANTHUS (Don.) Nat. 0. 
Apocynaceee. . C. rose us, and its varieties, 
albus , and ocellatus are neat stove plants, 
which thrive with comparatively little 
care; they delight in sandy heath soil, 
and should be frequently pruned while 
young to induce them to form dwarf 
compact bushes. A large plant of either 
of the kinds mentioned is an object of 
great beauty at nearly all times, for it is 
seldom indeed they are seen without 
flowers. They are easily increased by 
cuttings struck in pots of sand, plunged 
into a moderate bottom heat. The genus 
is more generally known by its original 
title Vinca, from which, however, it was 
separated by the late Professor Don. 
CATTLEYA (Lindley.) Nat. Ord. 
Orclddacece. What the Rose and the 
Dahlia are among garden plants, so is 
the Cattleya among Orchids—pre-emi¬ 
nently beautiful—not a species but pos¬ 
sesses claims of the strongest nature on 
the culturist’s attention, either for its 
delicate loveliness or the rich and vivid 
colouring of its large and handsome 
flowers. They are natives of the tempe¬ 
rate parts of South America, and in cul¬ 
tivation are found to succeed in a lower 
temperature than is necessary for the 
majority of plants of the same order; 
they will grow either on billets of wood 
or in pots of fibrous peat and sphagnum, 
carefully drained and moderately watered 
at all times; indeed the damp atmosphere 
of the house is nearly sufficient for them 
through the winter, and if about 5 0 degrees 
of heat is steadily maintained through this 
period, with an increase of about 10° in 
summer, the plants will be found to grow 
vigorously, and consequently flower in 
perfection. The colours of the flowers 
run through all the shades of white, rose, 
rosy-lilac, crimson, and carmine, nor is 
even yellow absent. When all are beau¬ 
tiful it is scarcely necessary to select. 
The following, however, should be in 
every collection, crispa, Harrisonice, in¬ 
termedia, labiata, Loddigesii, Mossiee, and 
its numerous varieties. 
CELOSIA (LinN.) Nat. Ord. Ama- 
rantaeece. Only one or two species are 
regarded as sufficiently ornamental to be 
included in ordinary collections : one of 
these, C. cristata, the common cocks¬ 
comb, is, however, almost universally 
grown. The seed should be sown in 
March, in pots of light rich loam, and 
plunged into a brisk hot-bed. In about 
a fortnight, or as soon as the young 
plants can be handled, they should be 
placed singly into small pots filled with 
the same kind of soil; in these they re¬ 
main until symptoms of blooming ap¬ 
pear, when the pots are changed for 
large ones, and the soil used should be 
of a strong stimulative character, such 
as loam and rotten manure in equal 
quantities, and if the plants are kept in 
a hot-bed with a temperature of 70° or 
75°, with a proper supply of moisture, 
and liquid manure be given them once a 
week, the flower-heads will be large, 
and the desideratum, a dwarf stem, will 
be obtained; it is on this account that 
small pots are recommended for the 
young plants up till the appearance of 
the flowers ; for if the roots are allowed 
much space at this period the stem na¬ 
turally increases in length without a 
compensating increase in the size of the 
“ comb.” The greenhouse, or any other 
cool or shaded place, will preserve their 
beauty unimpaired till the approach of 
winter. 
CENTAUREA (Linn.) Nat. Order 
Composite. An extensive genus of hardy 
herbaceous, perennial, and annual plants, 
varying in height from one to five feet, 
and of nearly every shade of colour from 
yellow to red, blue, or deep purple. As 
they continue to bloom for a long time 
they are well suited for the marginal 
borders of the flower-garden, and some 
of the dwarf species maybe even admitted 
to the detached beds. The perennial 
kinds grow in almost any description of 
soil, nor are the annuals more particular; 
they merely require to be sown where 
they are to remain, being afterwards 
thinned to the proper distances from 
each other. The generic name is derived 
