14 
tographic plate. Unless oxygen is pre- 
sent the light ceases, so that a chemical 
change is probably involved. 
Although not really luminous, a tiny 
moss (Schistostega osmundacea) is popu- 
larly known as the ‘luminous moss.” It 
grows in caves, and when the cave is 
looked into from the exterior through a 
narrow opening the floor sparkles with in- 
numerable golden-green points of light. If, 
however, the earth is brought out into day- 
light the fairy gems have disappeared. 
The explanation is this. From much 
branched threads, spread horizontally, arise 
numerous twigs bearing groups of spherical 
cells like grapes. These “grapes” are 
transparent, and reflect the light on to 
some chlorophyll granules at the back. 
The arrangement is exactly like a cat’s eye 
ona small scale, and just as you see the cat's 
eye gleam most when your back is to the 
light, and the cat facing it, so these cells 
gleam best when the observer looks 
through the small opening which partially 
lights up the cave, turning his back, of 
course, to the source of light. . 
Crimping Piants have been exhaustively 
treated by Darwin, and in his book will be 
“found ample information as to the slow 
rotary movement of the tip of the clim- 
ber, as it seems to be searching around for 
a support. 
It will be sufficient Heres to allude to the 
‘various methods of attachment of the clim- 
ber. Some simply weave themselves 
in among other plants, and are helped by 
prickles sometimes recurved. Others twine 
round their support if this is sufficiently 
thin. © Others, like the Lophospermum, 
hook on by sharply bending their leaf- 
stalks.. 
downwards, and these act as crooks. Many 
plants climb by tendrils of various kinds, 
these tendrils being sometimes modified 
stems at other times modified leaf-stalks, 
stipules, and even roots. One of our 
garden Bignonias puts out a triple claw 
like a bird’s foot, the Virginian Creeper 
an adhesive disc, and the Ivy an aerial root. 
PRopAGATION oF Prants By Lear Buns. 
—<“The leaf of the Bryophyllum calicinum 
(one of the house leeks) exhibits in each 
notch of the margin a group of cells which 
is perceptible as a dot to the naked eye. 
So long as the leaf remains upon the stem 
there is usually no further development 
of these cell aggregates, but if the leaf is 
plucked off and laid on the earth an active 
process of division is set up in them, the 
‘result of which is the formation of a little 
‘plant with stem, leaves, and -roots. 
~ “This method of propagation by leaf 
‘cuttings has been particularly applied to 
Citron and Orange trees, to the Hoya, 
-Aucuba, Clianthus puniceus, and to various 
‘other plants besides.” eee 
Tt is the method usually adopted to pro- 
‘pagate Begonias and Gesneras, the leaf 
being pressed down on moist sand. Little 
‘cuts are generally first made through the 
leaf across the strands. 
(To be Continued.) 
The Elwagnus, after a certain: 
height is obtained, puts out shoots directed - 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
OcroBeR 1, 1902. 
Hints on Potting Plants. 
reece r 
The very important operation of repot- | 
ting plants is very imperfectly understood, 
especially by amateurs, and as the time 
of year is now at hand when a consider- 
able amount of this work is usually done, 
a few hints may be useful to many who 
have not had much experience thereof. 
In the first place, the pots used should 
always be perfectly clean and dry inside, 
for if wet and dirty the roots are sure to 
cling tenaciously to the sides, and it will 
be found very difficult to turn them out 
for répottiug without damaging a number 
of the best, and subsequently giving the 
plants a very severe check. When a 
flower pot is quite dry and clean inside 
it isa very easy matter to turn out the 
plant without damaging a single root. 
The next important point to be considered 
is the drainage, for the future welfare 
of a plant dependsin a great measure on . 
this being properly and’ thoroughly done. 
Broken pots, or as they are usually termed 
“crocks,”? are the best material to use for 
draining flower pots, and they should be 
clean. If not clean hey should be washed 
ina tub or pail with a broom, and then 
dried. . The right depth of drainage to 
use must of course depend to a great 
~extent on the size of the pot and the 
requirements of the plant, but as a 
general guide about two inches may be 
placed in an eight-inch pot, increasing or 
diminishing this quantity according to 
the size of the pot. When time can be 
spared it is better to place each piece of 
crock the hollow side downwards. 
Another detail of very great importance 
is to see that the compost to be used is’ 
in the right condition as to moisture, and 
neither too wet nor too dry. To secure this 
desirable result, a store of such materials 
‘as loam, peat, leaf-mould, old mushroom 
bed manure, and sand must be kept in a 
dry shed or similar place out of the reach 
of rain and snow. Should any of the 
‘materials become too dry, this is easily 
remedied by adding sufficient water to 
moisten it before using. Unless the 
compost is in the right condition of 
moisture it cannot be pressed down or 
rammed firmly. When ‘potting plants 
their nature and requirements must be 
taken into consideration. For. instance, 
many green-house plants of the hard- 
weoded section, such as azaleas, heaths, 
and rhododendrons, that produce a pro- 
fusion of hair-like roots, thrive best in a 
peaty conipost of the hardest texture. 
In all cases however, of very firmly 
potted plants, it is essential to leave 
plenty of room for water, for the balls 
take it slowly, and require a large quan- 
tity to soak them thoroughly. Less than 
half an inch ought never to be left when 
using small_pots, and with large ones soil 
should not come within two inches of the 
top of the pot. d 
Stove flowering plants of a woody 
nature, such as Bougainville, Allamandas, 
Ixoras, and many others of a like char- 
acter, require very firm potting, so as to 
produce as much as possible a firm short- 
jointed growth. On the other hand, stove 
foliage plants, especially those for which 
peat is used, such as Alocasias, Marantas, 
Caladiums, and similar quick-growing, 
shade-loving plants make the finest leaves 
in an open fibry soil. Soft-wooded green- 
house plants, such as Fuchsias, Zonal 
Pelargoniums, Begonias, Calceolarias, and 
similar plants, although they like a mode- 
taely fine soil, should not be rammed too 
ard. 
In shifting on plants to larger pots, 
and there is not room to use the fingers 
and thumbs for pressing down the soil, it 
is best to use a thin potting stick for work- 
ing down the soil around the balls. When 
young plants are first potted into small 
pots they usually need a good watering to 
settle the soil, but in shifting established 
plants to larger pots it is not advisable to 
water for a day or two afterwards unless 
the weather should be very hot and dry, 
which often happens in summer. ~ 
Another important point is to see 
that the ball of the plant to be repotted is 
thoroughly. moist before shifting -to a 
larger pot. If a plant is- repotted when 
in a dry condition it is almost impossible 
to properly moisten it afterwards. Newly 
potted plants, especially hardwooded, green- 
house subjects, require. very great care in 
watering till the pots again become mode- 
rately filled with roots.—G.T.D. in Amateur 
Gardening. 
Spiraea. 
The Spiraea is known in England as the 
Meadow Sweet, and in France and Germany 
as the Queen of the Meadows, as its habitat 
is damp pastures. It belongs to the Rose 
family. The white flowered species are 
ulmaria (scented), Van Houttei, media, dis- 
color, prunifolia, Lindeyana, japonica (many 
varieties), triolata, argula, hypericifolia, The 
rose flowered are tomentosa, fortunei, 
expansa, _ salicifolia; pachystachys, pink ; 
semperflorens macrantha, rose pink ; Doug- 
lasi, red; ~~ Bullata, rose ; and decumbens, 
white; are suitable for rockeries. Others 
are mentioned in the nurserymen’s cata- 
logues, so that the choice is large. What is 
known as Spiraea grandiflora is properly 
Exochorda grandiflora, and is a lovely shrub, 
almost a tree; E. Alberta is said to be even: 
more handsome. 
Protea. 
—- 
If one of the so-called flowers of the 
Protea be cut through lengthways it will be 
seen that the outside ornamental scale-like 
bracts enclose about 60 of the true flowers. 
These have each a long tubular perianth 
terminated by the silky hairs seen just inside 
the cone of pinkish scales. One side of this 
perianth bears three long anthers, the other 
an aborted one. The Protea mellifera 
comes from the Cape of Good Hope; the 
yellowish-white variety flowers earlier than the 
pink one, but is not so handsome. . 
