1884.] 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 
They wove loft again to ^va^■mth and dark¬ 
ness for the next week, when on A 
paper, I fonnd the seedling; had kicked 
heir pret y heads against it. Of course 
these ambitions nurslings were to bo lifted’ 
to give the rest of the seed which had Ll 
sprouted a chance. 
For these delicate operations my tools arc 
rather laughable; but I find an old table- 
knife better than a trowel, while a steel 
three-tmed table-fork for stirring the soil, a 
cooking-spoon for a shovel, and one tine 
of a shel haii-pin four inches long, is the 
bes dibble for lifting and sotting seedlings 
lu tlieir third loaf. 
The thumb pots were filled with the same 
sandy soil as the seed-boxes, with a thought 
more mold in them, and 
a pinch of lime over the 
moss below, which kept 
the di-ainage open. This 
lime, under the soil, keeps 
all my house-plants free 
from worms. In a hun¬ 
dred pots and boxes, last 
winter, only three had 
wonns, and those had no 
lime. But I do not like 
pots for young seedlings, 
—they dry loo easily,— 
except for Sweet Peas 
and choice Nasturtiums. 
My younglings go in the 
four-inch box, and are 
sunk in the soil up to 
their leaves. Very little 
loss follows from shriv¬ 
eled roots, because water 
did not penetrate the soil 
more than half an inch. 
The remedy,—or preven¬ 
tion rather,— was setting 
the box in a pan of water 
till the soil absorbed 
moisture from below. 
After these daily, or 
half-daily, sprinklings, 
another invention has 
been of much use : Cov¬ 
ering the xDlant-boxes 
with light manilla paper, 
oiled with raw linseed 
oil, tacked high enough 
to give room for the 
plants to grow. The oiled 
paper gives just the right 
degree of sunlight and heat for the young 
sprouts, and I never saw seedlings of a finer 
green than those grown under this paper. It 
was my own idea to use it; but the practice, 
I find, was recommended by gardeners a hun¬ 
dred years ago. This cover keeps the little 
hot-bed very moist, the water standing on 
the under side of the paper, like dew; but 
the same care must be given to air the 
boxes, as in a greenhouse. The oiled j)aper 
suits many uses for plants, iu screens and 
shades. 
These cares I delight in—the fine, fas¬ 
tidious exactness of the florist’s first woik; 
and the time is near for starting delicate 
greenhouse seeds, which require just^suc 
careful handling. The most ardent florist 
beginner will kill two or three batches of 
seed learning how to start them, an some 
seeds are so delicate that the professiona 
florist, even, finds it not easy tn start t lem 
into growth; but what is learned by expeii 
ence is remembered. East Dedham. 
129 
the flamingo plant, 
AnlhuHum SehcrzeHanum. 
All the species of Anthurium are of strik- 
lug and brilliant beauty, and as exliibition 
plants, when well gi'own, wo do not know of 
anything that attracts more attention. Our 
fllustratioii shows the general character of 
the genus, but no one who has not seen 
vigorous, well-developed spociraens can form 
an idea of their gorgeous appearance. 
Antlmrium Sclwisennmmi is probably the 
best known and easiest cultivated species, 
and having received lately several inquiries 
about its treatment, we give the following 
description and directions, from Gardemnn 
Tllnslralcd : 
Pew plants have improved under culture 
de- 
ANTHURIUM WAROCYGNEANUM. 
so much as this. It is a native of Guatemala 
and Costa Rica, gromng in moist positions, 
and bearing very small spatlies, or flowers, 
rarely over one inch long, among the dwarf 
herbage by which it is sunounded. Indeed, 
so inconspicuous is the plant in its native 
habitat, that collectors have passed it time 
after time, not considering it showy enough 
to be worth introduction. 
Liberal culture has, however, worked 
wonders, and instead of the little “ brick- 
red ” spathes, only an inch in length, accom¬ 
panied by foliage small in proportion, we 
now have fine forms bearing spathes from 
five to eight inches in length, and thi'ee to 
five inches in breadth, the color being of the 
brightest shining scarlet or vermilion imag¬ 
inable. Instead of sinking in public estima¬ 
tion, after the manner of many other plants, 
this has gradually won its way into popular 
favor, and is now to be foimd by the dozen 
in many private gardens, while some of the 
leading nui‘sery-men have it in stock by the 
thousand to meet the over-increasing 
mand from amateim cultivators. 
PROPAGATION. 
One thing likely to make this plant popu¬ 
lar amongst small growers and amateurs is 
the ease with which it is multiplied, either 
by seed or division. Old and well-estab¬ 
lished specimens frequently bear abimdance 
of seed without any assistance from the cul¬ 
tivator, and seed so produced rarely fails to 
germinate freely, sown in shallow, well- 
drained pans of light, sandy compost. If 
placed in a close case on a gentle hot-bed, 
germination will take place much sooner, 
and the pan should not be distm-bed, for the 
young plants will continue 
to make their appearance 
for a year or two after 
the seeds are sonm. The 
young seedlings may be 
removed as they develop 
themselves, and if pricked 
off into other pans, or jjot- 
ted singly in small pots, 
they soon increase in size 
and rigor. 
After fertilization the 
seeds are at least a year 
in amring at maturity, 
and when ripe, the scarlet 
berries start from the flow- 
er-sijike and hang down at 
the sides. When they are 
ripe it is best to sow them 
at once, treating them as 
above recommended. 
The plant can also be 
propagated by the division 
of large specimens, or bj' 
remoring the offsets on 
small plants, which are 
somewhat freely produced 
around the bases of the 
old stems. 
CULTURE. 
This plant can be groivn 
by every one who has a 
warm gi-eenhouse or vin¬ 
ery. It likes a warm teni- 
lierature and pleut 3 '' of 
moisture at the root all 
the j’ear i-ound. The com¬ 
post best suited to this plant is fibrous peat 
iu lumps as large as pigeou’s-eggs, living 
Sphagnum moss, mixed \rith broken ei’ocks, 
leaf-mold, and sufficient coarse, well-washed 
sand or gifit to keep the whole open and 
porous. The pot must be well drained, and 
if possible induce the moss to grow freely 
on the surface of the compost. 
In potting take care to elevate the plant 
well above the rim of the pot, and the addi¬ 
tion of a little more compost and moss is de¬ 
sirable, as the plant roots out above the pot. It 
growsvery freely when its requirements are 
duly attended to, and in the ease of vigorous 
specimens a little stimulant in the way of 
weak liquid manure is beneficial. 
The plant is not subject to many insect 
pests, but like all other hard-leaved plants, 
it should be repeatedly sponged with clean 
water to remove dust and other impurities, 
while frequent and regular syringings with 
tepid water promote its healthy growth and 
vigor. 
