JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
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'  NoTember  1 9.  1896, 
P.  capeneid  is  easily  raided  from  cuttings,  and  the  best  season  to 
propagate  is  spring  Old  plants  usnally  send  out  sturdy  young  side 
shoots  from  various  parts  These  are  excellent  for  propagating  purposes. 
Secure  them  when  2  or  3  inches  long,  taking  them  oS  from  the  stem 
with  a  p  >rtion  of  the  old  wood  ;  in  fact,  slip  them  off  with  a  heel. 
Insert  singly  in  very  small  pots,  2  inch  size  or  72’d  being  suitable.  Fill 
the  pots  with  a  compost  of  fibrous  sandy  peat,  surfacing  with  a  thin 
layer  of  clean  white  sand.  Water  the  cuttings  in  with  tepid  water 
gently  applied,  and  ptnntre  the  pots  at  once  in  a  hotbed  which  has  a 
reguiar  temperature  of  fiO”  to  75°.  The  hotbed  most  suitable  is  one  in  a 
forcing  house  or  stove  which  has  an  average  temperature  of  65°.  The 
best  material  for  retaining  ample  moisture  and  heat  is  cocoa-nut  fibre. 
It  is  sweet,  clean,  and  easily  moistened.  The  cuttings  may  be  geni  -  j 
dewed  over  occasionally  to  prevent  the  atmosphere  becoming  arid,  and 
so  causing  more  rapid  transpiration  from  the  leaves  than  is  desirable 
until  rooting  commences.  When  the  cuttings  have  rooted  an  increased 
amount  of  air  must  gradually  be  given  until  the  young  plants  will  bear 
full  exposure.  Shortly  after  this  take  the  plants  out  of  the  plunging 
material,  according  them  a  position  nearer  the  glass  in  a  cooler 
temperature  and  if  possible  on  a  moist  base. 
The  small  pots  will  soon  fill  with  roots.  Before  the  plants  become 
pot-bound  transfer  to  a  size  larger,  using  a  compost  of  half  peat  and 
loam,  with  silver  sand  intermixed.  Grow  on  the  plants  in  a  greenhouse 
temperature,  syringing  daily,  and  affording  water  as  required.  Afford  a 
further  shift  when  necessary,  inserting  a  light  stake  in  the  centre  of 
pot,  tying  the  growths  to  this,  allowing  all  possible  to  be  mad^.  By 
the  time  the  luants  are  well  established  in  5-inch  pots  air  will  be  freely 
admitted  to  the  greenhouse,  which  will  suit  the  wants  of  the  plants 
admirably.  A  sunny  position  should  be  afforded  the  plants  in  late 
summer  and  autumn,  whereby  the  wood  will  become  thoroughly  ripened 
towards  the  base.  With  this  the  culture  for  the  first  year  may  be 
considered  complete. 
Whatever  the  decision  as  to  the  future  method  of  growing  the 
plants  they  thould  be  well  pruned  back,  leaving  a  single  stem  w’tb 
several  well-developed  buds  upon  it.  Early  in  soring,  if  the  plants  are 
to  receive  pot  culture,  transfer  to  7-inch  pots.  Use  a  more  substantial 
compost  than  hitherto.  Let  it  consist  of  four  parts  fibrous  loam,  one 
part  peat  and  silver  sand,  intermixing  well,  and  potting  firmly.  The 
growths  may  be  trained  round  stakes,  or  on  a  trellis  fixed  in  the  pots, 
but  this  had  better  be  deferred  until  the  plants  have  been  potted  into 
the  larger  size  it  is  intended  to  grow  them  in.  They  need  moderate 
root  room,  and  pots  even  of  13  inches  diameter  are  not  too  large  ;  but  of 
course  good  thrifty  plants  may  be  grown  in  less  sizes,  especially  for  a 
few  seasons  only. 
Where  practicable,  planting  in  a  well  drained,  prepared  border 
under  glass  is  the  best  method  of  culture.  More  so  is  this  the  case  when 
abundant  space  Is  available  for  training  the  growths  upon.  Long  rafters, 
upright  pillars,  and  wires  under  the  roof  or  upon  walls  afford  the  requi¬ 
site  accommodation.  The  pillars  and  rafters  may  be  fairly  well  covered 
a  few  inches  apart  with  strong  shoots,  extending  as  long  as  they  may. 
Such  shoots  may  not  be  secured  from  buds  on  the  stems,  but  if  the 
plants  are  placed  out  in  good  borders  an  impetus  will  be  given  to  the 
roots  whereby  strong  shoots  will  proceed  later  from  dormant  buds  at 
various  points.  These  may  te  utilised  for  laying  the  foundations  of 
good  specimens.  By  cutting  back  worn  out  stems  at  any  time  strong 
ehoots  are  invariably  fouud  at  hand  to  take  their  place,  thus  the 
vigour  of  the  plants  may  be  constantly  renewed. 
The  leading  stems  which  are  necessarily  close  together  on  pillars  and 
rafters  may  be  spread  over  the  whole  space  of  wires  under  a  roof  or  npon 
the  surface  of  a  wall.  A  collection  of  leading  stems  obtained  or  origi¬ 
nated,  it  will  be  found  that  the  side  shoots  springing  from  these  at 
almost  etery  joint  will  extend  in  a  free  manner  and  bear  at  their  points 
racemes  of  pale  blue  flowers  in  August  and  September.  These  shoots 
ought  to  have  no  special  training  unless  in  trellised  pots^  when  they  may 
be  tied  in .  When  hanging  or  spreading  in  wild  confusion  the  effect  is 
much  better  than  training,  to  which  the  Plumbago  does  not  readily 
lend  itself,  except  to  assume  a  stiff  appearance. 
Tying  in  the  current  year’s  shoots  is  less  necessary  because  such 
shoots,  after  flowering,  require  to  be  pruned  back  during  the  operatiou 
early  in  winter,  cutting  to  within  1  inch  of  their  base. 
During  the  period  of  full  growth  and  flowering  abundance  of  water 
is  required  by  the  plants,  especially  in  pots,  when  fully  established  in 
them.  In  autnmn  of  course  less  is  required,  and  in  winter  it  suffices  to 
maintain  the  soil  just  moist  and  the  plants  cool. 
Considerable  assistance  may  be  given  to  pot-bound  plants  in  large 
pots  if  a  top-dressing  of  rich  material  is  given  in  spring  and  copious 
supplies  of  liquid  manure,  consisting  of  clear  soot  water,  weak  solntions 
of  liquid  obtained  from  cow,  sheep,  or  ben  manure,  also  cow  manure  or 
horse  droppings.  Solution!  of  animal  manures  are  always  beneficial, 
but  ought  never  to  be  given  in  a  turgid  or  strong  state. 
An  admirable  method  of  feeding  is  the  employment  of  compound 
artificial  manures,  but  it  is  not  advisable  that  either  natural  or  artificial 
food  should  be  exclusively  employed.  Alternate  sapplies  of  both  com¬ 
mand,  perhaps,  the  beat  results,  affording  such  about  twice  a  week  during 
the  most  active  period  of  growth. 
The  best  period  to  plant  ont  in  borders  under  glass  is  February  or 
March,  just  when  growth  is  about  to  commence.  If  a  plant  has  a  long 
way  to  grow  before  reaching  the  space  on  which  it  has  to  be  trained, 
the  main  stem  may  be  left  much  longer  than  would  otherwise  be  neces- 
4Wry. — E.  D.  S. 
AMORPHOPHALLUS  VARIABILIS. 
The  Colocasias  and  Alocasias  are  well-known  occupants  of  our  con¬ 
servatories,  and  much  prized  on  account  of  their  handsome  and  exuberant 
foliage.  Other  genera  of  the  Aroid  family,  such  as  the  Arum  Lily 
(Richardia  aethiopica),  and  our  own  native  “Cuckoo-pint,”  are  more 
familiar  to  those  whose  ambition  in  horticulture  does  not  aspire  to  the 
cultivation  of  exotics  in  hothouses,  in  naming  these,  the  list  of  Aroids 
which  can  be  grown  in  a  cool  house  or  in  England  during  the  warmer 
season  of  the  year  is  almost  exhausted,  but  their  inflorescence  is  so 
typical  of  the  whole  order,  and  so  frequently  to  be  seen,  that  even  the 
unpractised  eye  has  not  much  difficulty  in  recognising  other  often 
portentous-looking  members  of  the  family,  which  are  from  time  to  time 
introduced  by  specialists  in  horticulture  from  tropical  regions.  The 
purely  white  spathe  which  constitutes  the  chief  beauty  of  the  Arum 
FIG.  85.— A  FRUIT  STORE.  {See  page  biQ). 
Lily  is.  however,  absent  from  most  of  the  exotic  genera  of  this  family, 
the  spathe  in  these  having  deeper-coloured  markings  of  purple  or  brown, 
and  the  central  spadix  or  spike,  which  is  bright  yellow  in  the  Arum  Lily, 
assuming  duller  shades  of  colour,  and  often  monstrous  and  even  sinister 
aspects.  In  the  Amorphophallus  the  most  visible  of  its  characteristics  is 
the.  tendency  in  the  spadix  to  become  fnngus-like  at  the  upper  extremity. 
The  other  characteristics  He  concealed  from  the  eye  in  the  roots,  and  the 
inflorescence  below  this  inflated  cap.  Of  this  carious  characteristic  of 
the  genus  Amorphophallus  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  better  example 
than  that  of  the  Amorphophallus  variabilis,  a  specimen  of  which  was 
exhibited  by  Messrs.  James  Yeitch  &  Sons  at  the  Drill  Hall,  Westminster, 
on  Nov.  10th  inet.,  and  of  which  we  represent  in  the  illnstration  (fig.  86, 
page  193).  The  first  impression  is  that  of  a  sort  of  puff-ball  excrescence 
emerging  from  a  brown  sheath. 
The  species  variaiilit  of  the  Amorphophallus  genus  is  a  great  rarity 
in  this  country.  It  has  been  enumerated  among  other  species  by  Blume, 
the  founder  of  the  genus,  but  with  the  exception  of  those  few  who  have 
encountered  it  in  its  native  habitat  in  the  Asiatic  Archipelago  it  has 
scarcely  been  seen  by  English  people.  The  present  specimen  was  sent  to 
Messrs.  Yeitch  from  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Port  Darwin,  on  the  northern 
coast  of  Australia,  which  lies  well  within  the  tropical  zone.  For  the 
ordinary  horticultnrist  it  can,  therefore,  be  only  an  object  of  passing 
cariosity,  but  to  the  botanist  and  the  specialist  it  cannot  fail  to  be  a 
subject  of  much  interest,  and  its  introduction  may  well  be  noted  us 
another  achievement  among  the  many  of  the  firm  which  exhibited  it. 
Winter  Moths.— These  creatures  are  now  very  busy  depositing 
their  eggs.  I  find  from  many  years’  '>bseivatioa  that  the  bulk  of 
the  eggs  are  laid  from  the  middle  to  the  end  of  November.  1  saw 
the  first  male  on  the  wing  on  October  1st,— O'.  Hiam. 
