AuacsT 16, 1913. 
THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 
Aloes. 
Those are confined to tropical and sub- 
tropi<«l Africa and the South of Europe. 
One species, viz., A. chinensis, is said 
hoT native of China, hut is probably 
aa introduced plant. 'Most are of easy cul¬ 
ture and highly decorative, especially 
when in flower. A selection may be made 
from the following: A. variegata, the Part¬ 
ridge Aloe, a common plant in cottagers’ 
windows; a beautiful and easily-grown 
with short, spirally-arranged green 
icaves prettily viariegated with white; 
lowers brick-red, produced freely on quite 
small plants. A. oibscura, A. Greeni, A. 
laponaria, and the hybrid A. niarmorata 
arc useful kinds, with thick, fleshy leaves 
spottetl or striped with white or greenish, 
white, and of dwarf habit. A. mitriiformis 
is another easily-grown species, with short, 
dark green leaves, covered near the apex 
and along the margins with bright yellow 
priekles. A. ferox has light, glaucous blue 
leaves, densely covered with short, hard 
prickles, and a neat, dwarf hahit. A 
i species frequently met with as a cottager’s 
window plant is the South African A. ar- 
1 boreFcens, of free branching habit, and not 
at all fastidious as to culture. Tliis is an 
ideal succulent plant for general purposes, 
as numerous suckers and hranches are de¬ 
veloped, from which any amount of stock 
may be obtained. The leaves lare a light, 
gliucoushlue shade when grown in full 
*nn, but soon lose this colour if grown in 
even partial shade. The flowers are brick- 
red, and seldom produced, except by large 
T>ecimens. A. vera, a native of the Medi¬ 
terranean region, is a dwarf plant with 
Ijglit green leaves, and is of interest as 
being the source of the bitter aloes of 
commerce. 
In a genus of which over 100 species ai’e 
•n cultivation it is difi&cult to restrict one¬ 
self to half-a-dozen species, but mention 
mnst be made of a few of the larger kinds 
suitable for large houses, such as the 
Giant Tree Aloes, A. Thraski and A. 
' Bainesi, writh their ball woody stems and 
qireading leaves, almost devoid of succu- 
ence; and the fine A. abyssinica, with 
'arge, fleshy, dark green leaves, spotted 
pale greenish-white. The bulk of the 
flower freely when once they have 
reached the adult stage, the flo»wers being 
^ mostly of some shade of (brick-red or 
orange, while a few species have light yel- 
low flowers. 
[ Apicra and Haworthia. 
handsome. Most of the species possess 
very beautiful flowers, being usually some 
shade of s?carlet or pink, and shading off at 
the mouth of the perianth to bright green 
or white. The flowers are all curiously 
pouched near the base, and curved in out¬ 
line, and are borne on long, erect, or arch¬ 
ing racemes or panicles. 
A few of the most easily-grown kinds 
are G. verrucosa, G. -disticha, G. nitida, G. 
trigona, G. marmorata, and G. nigricans. 
Tliese are all dwarf and compact in habit. 
A few of the larger kinds are G. excel^^a, 
G. spiralis, G. Croucheri, and G. glabra. 
C. P. Raffill. 
(To l)e continued.) 
SCHIZANTHUS 
WISETONENSIS. 
It is advisable to raise two batches of this 
fichizanthus, one early in August and the 
other at the end of the month or early in 
September. AVhore the houses iii which the 
healthy condition until the flowers have 
faded. Too often one sees plants in their 
early stages looking somewhat sickly in a 
poor, fibreless, rooting medium. Feeding 
later on will not make up for lack of pmir 
soil, simply hecau.se th<' roots are too 
few. In the sulistantial conij>ost roots will 
l>r plentiful and healthy, aiul when the fee<l- 
ing is judiciously carrie<l out extra fine 
specimens will he the rt^sult. Frame accom¬ 
modation is the most suitable until the 
middle of Octolmr ; then a high, warm shelf 
will answer l}est from that time until the 
final |M>tting, when spa<*4* on a light, open 
stage should 1 k» provided. M. L. 
LILIUM CHALCEDONICUM* 
Kiiow'U frequently as the Scarlet Turk's 
Cap Lily, this species, like many other 
memhers of tho Martagon group to which 
it belongs, needs to InxMime thoroughly es¬ 
tablished iKdore it is si'en at its l>est. The 
first season after planting it will ofUm pu.sh 
up a poor, weak stem to a height of only 
AGAVE VICTORIiE REGIN.E. 
ill; 1 haworthias are nearly 
[ arA ; of w^hich only a few of each 
\ statu" They are all of small 
^ ^J’d suitable for small collections 
smalf limited. The flowers are all 
[ allv ^ dirty white colour, occasion- 
! ?^ith pink or some tint of 
™ borne on slender arching ra- 
^Dirali apicras, A. deltoidea and A. 
for general pur- 
ind nrn are a numerous family, 
1 'fartv covered with a dense mass of 
' Icavefi or spots all over the 
' «ome them a distinct and hand- 
H- *e best are 
8- ®a8ula, H. margaritifera, 
ardti, and H. tessellata. 
^ Gasteria. 
well-known as usofii! 
ideal TV..,?’ ^ sunny wdndoiw being 
att^*^ icn for them, and with very 
'onuaiiy they will thrive, and flower 
'ies are in years. Numerous spe- 
^*^^abit and “mostly dwarf 
•petted leav^^s fleshy, warty, or 
es. some of which are extremely 
A handsome species of dwarf growth, the leaves greyish-green, with white variegation. 
plants are flowered are very sunny the 
blooms quickly fade as the hot weather in¬ 
creases; if there are structures with cool 
aspects the flowers will last longer and be 
very highly coloured. In the depth of win¬ 
ter the sunniest position in a house will 
not be too hot. , , 
All cultivators of flowering plants for the 
embellishment of the conservatory in spring 
will be acting wisely by providing two good 
batches of plants, as even a few fine speci¬ 
mens give a furnished appearance to a 
greenhouse or similar structure. I well 
remember having to grow several plants in 
a pot of the old Schizanthus pinnatus, and 
train the shoots over a balloon-shaped ar¬ 
rangement of wires. But a well-grown spe¬ 
cimen of the variety Wisetonensis does not 
require a wire support; one, or at most 
three, stakes will be suflRcient. and one 
plant’quite enough for a pot 6^in. or T^in. 
in diameter. . , 
The seedlings should be grown m the best 
compost procurable, not necessarily a rich 
one, but such as will support the roots in a 
a few inches, with insuflScient vigour to en¬ 
able the few flowers to develop. Favourably 
situated, an improvement may year by year 
be anticipated, till it forms one of the 
finest of all border lilies. In this lily stem- 
roots are very sparingly, if at all, produced, 
the entire plant depending for its support 
upon the stout thong-like roots from the 
base of the bulb. It is therefore evident 
that until these have thoroughly taken pos¬ 
session of the soil this lily will not be seen 
at its best. A good sandy loam of moderate 
consistency suits this lily, whose prettily 
recurved, sealing-wax-like coloured blos¬ 
soms form such a pleasing feature in the 
flower border. They are not, however, 
adapted for cutting from, the heavy smell 
of the blossoms being against their use iii 
confined places. Apart from any other 
consideration, this lily is jiarticularly in¬ 
teresting, as it is one of the reputed 
parents (L. candidum being the other) of 
the beautiful and distinct Nankeen lily 
(Lilium testaceum), whose early history is 
doubtful. S. 
