January  27,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
79 
The  colour  of  the  peculiarly  shaped  blooms  is  almost  unique,  but  I 
find  it  is  greatly  influenced  by  cultivation.  If  grown  sturdily  in  a 
good  light  and  well  supplied  with  nourishment  the  flowers  produced  will 
be  much  deeper  in  tint  than  those  growing  on  long  weak  growths  in 
shaded  positions.  This  plant  appears  to  accommodate  itselt  easily  to 
different  soils,  but  a  sandy  loam  mixed  with  a  small  proportion  of 
leaf  soil  or  well-decomposed  manure  appears  to  suit  its  requirements 
admirably.— J.  Shalford. 
[We  think  the  plant  in  question  is  now  classed  as  a  true  Mimulus.] 
POINSETTIA  PULCHERRIMA. 
This  plant  is  now  very  extensively  cultivated,  and  well  it  deserves  to 
be,  as  there  are  few  that  are  more  and  better  adapted  for  decorative 
purposes  during  the  winter.  The  system  of  culture  I  have  adopted 
is  different  from  that  of  many  cultivators,  but  as  I  have  been  successful 
with  it  for  many  years,  I  thought  a  few  remarks  on  culture  would  be 
useful. 
The  plant  is  a  native  of  Mexico,  having  been  discovered  in  that  country 
by  Mr.  Poinsetti  in  1828,  and  whether  different  varieties  of  the  species 
were  sent  over,  or  whether  the  difference  in  cultivation  has  the  effect  of 
improving  the  quality  of  the  bracts,  I  know  not,  but  I  certainly  have 
not-  seen  better  or  more  brilliant  specimens  anywhere  than  have  been 
produced  by  the  culture  here  described. 
When  the  flowering  period  is  over  the  plants  are  gradually  dried  off, 
and  the  pots  laid  on  their  sides  underneath  the  stage  in  a  cool  stove, 
where  they  remain  until  the  end  of  March.  In  that  month  the  young 
growths  of  last  season  are  cut  down  to  within  three  or  four  eyes  from  the 
base  of  the  growth.  No  water  is  applied  to  the  roots  until  the  wounds 
are  dried,  but  the  pots  are  removed  to  the  greenhouse,  where  they  are 
placed  on  the  stage  near  the  glass,  and  there  they  remain,  water  being 
applied  to  the  roots  when  it  is  required,  but  no  more  than  is  necessary  to 
maintain  a  healthy  growth.  They  do  not  require  nearly  so  much  water 
here  as  they  would  in  the  plant  stove,  where  the  heat  would  be  55°  or  60° 
at  night. 
When  the  buds  have  started,  and  are  about  half  an  inch  long,  the  plants 
must  be  turned  out  of  the  pots  and  repotted  ;  and  to  grow  this  plant  well 
it  requires  a  rich  compost.  The  following  answers  admirably :  Eich  turfy 
loam  five  parts,  one  part  decayed  stable  manure,  one  part  leaf  soil,  and  an 
8-inch  potfiil  of  crushed  bones  to  each  barrowload  of  the  compost ;  a  little 
sand  is  necessary  if  the  loam  is  of  close  texture.  Drain  the  pots  well, 
and  place  over  the  broken  potsherds  some  of  the  fibrous  part  of  the  loam 
from  which  the  clayey  particles  have  been  well  shaken  out ;  if  the  finer 
portion  of  the  compost  becomes  mixed  with  the  drainage  the  plants  will 
not  retain  their  leaves  to  the  end  of  the  season.  After  potting,  the  plants 
should  be  kept  near  the  glass  and  be  fully  exposed  to  sunshine,  and  the 
house  be  freely  aired  ;  this  will  cause  the  growths  to  come  strong  and 
short-jointed,  the  leaves  to  be  thick  and  leathery,  and  the  wood  will  be  of 
a  reddish  tint. 
Immediately  the  pots  are  well  filled  with  roots,  which  will  be  by  the 
middle  of  May,  the  plants  may  be  repotted  in  similar  compost  to  the 
above,  and  by  the  middle  of  June  they  can  be  removed  to  a  position  out 
of  doors  where  they  are  partially  shaded  from  the  sun.  I  have  found 
they  do  best  on  the  north  or  west  side  of  a  low  house  where  the  tops  of 
the  plants  are  exposed  to  the  sun  and  the  lower  portion  sheltered  from  its 
rays.  If  they  are  exposed  to  the  direct  force  of  a  strong  gale  of  wind 
many  of  the  leaves  are  injured.  In  this  position  they  must  not  at  any 
time  suffer  by  want  of  water  at  the  roots,  as  this  would  also  cause  some, 
of  the  leaves  to  drop  off,  and  the  object  of  the  cultivator  is  to  see  that  this 
does  not  occur,  as  the  loss  of  the  lower  or  any  leaves  very  much  impairs 
the  beauty  of  the  plants. 
About  the  middle  of  September  we  remove  the  plants  to  a  house 
where  there  is  a  night  temperature  of  50°  or  55°,  and  this  ought  not  to 
be  exceeded  until  the  bracts  commence  to  form,  when  the  night  tempe¬ 
rature  should  be  65°  until  they  are  fully  developed.  I  ought  to  mention 
that  as  soon  as  the  plants  are  taken  indoors  they  should  be  well  watered 
with  manure  water ;  every  alternate  watering  may  be  of  guano  water. 
This  deepens  the  green  of  the  stem  and  leaves  and  adds  brilliancy  to  the 
floral  bracts. 
Propagation  is  effected  by  cutting  the  stem  into  short  lengths  and 
inserting  the  eyes  in  the  same  way  as  Vine  eyes  ;  they  thus  grow  as 
freely  as  Vines,  requiring  very  similar  treatment.  Another  method 
equally  simple  is  this  :  When  the  young  growths  are  3  or  4  inches  in 
length  it  will  often  be  found  that  there  are  more  on  the  plants  than  ought 
to  be  allowed  to  remain.  Let  the  surplus  growths  be  taken  off  with  heels 
and  be  placed  in  a  gentle  bottom  heat  under  a  bell-glass,  where  they  will, 
if  shaded  from  the  sun,  very  soon  produce  roots.  If  each  cutting  is 
potted  in  sandy  loam  in  a  thumb  pot  the  plants  will  not  suffer  anything 
when  they  are  repotted.  In  three  weeks  from  the  time  of  putting  in  the 
cuttings  the  plants  will  be  ready  to  be  repotted.  After  being  established 
they  may  gradually  be  inured  to  a  cooler  atmosphere,  and  be  ultimately 
placed  out  of  doors  and  be  treated  as  has  been  recommended  for  the 
established  plants. 
The  Poinsettia  does  not  require  very  much  pot  room  ;  the  summer- 
rooted  cuttings  may  be  placed  in  pots  4  inches  in  diameter,  or  three  can 
be  potted  in  6-inch  pots.  We  have  some  in  6-iuch  pots  from  cuttings 
rooted  in  June  ;  each  pot  contains  three  plants,  which  stand  15  inches 
from  the  surface  of  the  pots,  and  the  floral  bracts  are  as  much  as  15  inches 
across. — D.  J. 
Weather  in  London. — Mild  weather  has  prevailed  in  London 
during  the  past  seven  days.  With  the  exception  of  last  Saturday,  which 
was  very  bright,  the  days  have  been  dull,  but  there  have  been  no  heavy 
fogs.  Rain  has  not  fallen  during  this  interval,  nor  is  it  required.  A 
change  to  dry,  gentle  frosts  would  be  appreciated. 
-  Weather  in  the  North.  —  The  weather  of  the  past  week 
has  again  been  changeable.  In  the  former  part  high  westerly  winds 
prevailed.  After  an  extremely  wet  night,  Saturday,  Sunday,  and 
Monday  were  good  spring-like  days,  although  there  was  little  sun¬ 
shine.  On  Sunday  morning  there  was  a  very  slight  touch  of  frost. 
Tuesday  morning  was  rather  dull,  but  fresh  and  pleasant.  —  B.  D., 
S.  Perthshire. 
- Lost  Votes  at  the  Recent  Gardeners’  Benevolent 
Election. — I  am  anxious  to  call  the  attention  of  subscribers  to  the 
above  Institution  to  the  number  of  votes  that  were  lost  through  the 
neglect  of  several  persons  in  omitting  to  sign  their  names  to  the  voting 
papers,  and  others  failing  to  pay  their  subscriptions.  No  fewer  than 
1152  votes  were  lost  in  this  way — a  most  serious  thing  for  the  candidates. 
It  is  strange  but  true  that  1035  votes  were  not  signed,  and  117  lost 
through  failures  in  payment.  The  Orphan  Fund  election  takes  place  on 
February  18th.  Let  me  advise  those  subscribers  to  be  careful  and  sign 
their  names,  and  mark  their  votes  plainly  in  the  sheet,  to  save  a  repeti¬ 
tion  of  the  misfortune  to  which  I  draw  attention. — ALFRED  OuTRAM, 
F.R  H.S.,  7,  Moore  ParTt  Eoad,  Fulham. 
-  WooLTON  Gardeners’  Improvement  Society. — The 
annual  meeting  of  the  above  Society  was  held  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Rev.  R.  E.  Roberts.  Mr.  H.  Corlett  had  eight  microscopes  on  view,  the 
slides  including  various  plants  and  insects,  the  series  proving  most 
interesting.  A  charming  collection  of  Orchids  in  variety  came  from  Mr. 
R.  Todd,  gardener  to  the  President,  Holbrook  Gaskell,  Esq.,  Woolton 
Wood.  These  were  highly  appreciated.  Mr.  R.  G.  Waterman,  who  has 
worked  so  assiduously  to  make  the  year’s  work  such  a  great  success,  was 
again  unanimously  re-elected  Hon.  Treasurer  and  Secretary.  An  effort 
was  made  at  a  social  gathering,  also  by  a  sale  stall  at  the  Sefton  Park 
Show,  held  by  permission  of  the  Liverpool  Horticultural  Assoication,  by 
which  a  donation  of  £10  17s.  8d.  has  been  forwarded  to  H.  J.  Veitch, 
Esq.,  Treasurer  of  the  Victorian  Era  Fund,  in  connection  with  the 
Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Society.  A  warm  tribute  was  paid  to  the 
late  Rev,  George  Beaumont,  who  had  been  a  Vice-President  since  the 
formation  of  the  Society.  It  was  said  of  him  that  he  did  not  speak  about 
things  he  did  not  know,  but  when  he  did  speak  it  was  with  the  confidence 
of  an  experienced  teacher,  and  with  the  quiet  certainty  of  one  who  had 
reason  to  know  that  his  assertions  rested  on  a  basis  of  fact. — R.  P.  R. 
— -  Royal  Meteorological  Society. — The  annual  meeting  of 
this  Society  was  held  on  Wednesday,  the  19th  inst.,  at  the  Institution  of 
Civil  Engineers,  Mr.  E.  Mawley,  F.R.H.S.,  President,  in  the  chair.  The 
Secretary  read  the  report  of  the  Council  for  the  year  1897,  showing  that 
there  had  been  an  increase  in  the  number  of  Fellows,  and  that  the  finances 
were  satisfactory.  The  President,  Mr.  Edward  Mawley,  then  gave  an 
address  on  “Weather  Influences  on  Farm  and  Garden  Crops,”  in  which 
he  pointed  out  the  intimate  connection  between  meteorology,  agriculture, 
and  horticulture.  He  explained  the  special  characteristics  of  the  climate 
of  the  British  Isles  as  regards  temperature  and  rainfall.  Of  all  the 
influences  brought  to  bear  on  vegetable  life  by  the  atmosphere,  he  con¬ 
sidered  temperature  to  be  the  most  powerful  and  far  reaching,  and  only 
second  to  this  came  rainfall.  The  leading  effects  of  snow,  wind,  and  sun¬ 
shine,  as  well  as  of  prolonged  droughts,  severe  frosts,  and  persistent  rains 
were  also  described.  He  then  dealt  with  the  influence  of  different 
important  weather  changes  on  such  farm  crops  as  Wheat,  roots,  and  grass, 
as  well  as  on  fruit  trees,  vegetables,  and  flowering  plants  in  the  garden. 
In  his  concluding  remarks  he  called  attention  to  the  great  want  of  experi¬ 
mental  farms  in  conjunction  with  meteorological  stations  being  established 
in  this  and  other  countries  in  Europe,  for  it  was  only  by  the  exami¬ 
nation  of  meteorological  observations,  together  with  weekly  records  of  the 
extent  and  character  of  the  growth  made  by  our  leading  crops,  that  the 
close  connection  existing  between  weather  changes  and  their  influences 
on  such  crops  could  be  clearly  traced.  Mr.  F.  C.  Bayard,  L.L.M.,  was 
elected  President  for  the  year. 
