262 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  16,  1897. 
elfective  in  large  vases.  Whenever  the  plants  become  shabby 
throiigh  constant  use,  after  removing  the  disfigured  leaves,  they  are 
placed  in  a  warm  pit  for  a  fewweeks  till  signs  of  young  growths 
are  visible.  The  whole  stock  is  then  dealt  with,  some  of  the  plants 
being  repotted,  others  divided  and  placed  in  smaller  pots,  then  by 
keeping  them  in  a  warm  moist  pit  they  quickly  grow  into  a  useful 
size.  If  this  course  is  persistently  followed  a  good  stock  of  serviceable 
plants  is  always  at  command. 
When  empbying  them  for  dinner  table  decoration,  I  turn  the 
plants  out  of  their  pots,  cut  away  the  lower  parts  of  the  ball  and  bind 
fresh  moss  around  the  roots.  I  have  often  used  the  same  plants 
at  intervals  for  a  period  extending  over  three  weeks.  With  regular 
attention  in  watering  they  seem  to  thrive  as  well  in  moss  as  when 
left  in  the  pots,  indeed  the  roots  have  a  great  liking  for  moss  and 
interlace  themselves  among  it.  Noticing  this  some  time  ago  I  have 
since  turned  the  knowledge  to  practical  account  in  the  following  way  : 
When  the  mossed  plants  have  done  duty  for  a  time  I  press  them  into 
pots  just  as  they  are,  and  return  them  to  their  old  quarters,  where  they 
grow  quite  as  well  as  others  repotted  at  the  same  time. — H.  D. 
CISSUS  DISCOLOR. 
CiSStJS  DISCOLOR  has  long  been  esteemed  for  its  attractively 
variegated  foliage,  and  it  may  frequently  be  seen  adorning  the  wall  of 
a  warm  house  or  covering  a  trellis  in  a  pot.  Its  culture  is  of  the 
easiest,  and  it  is  so  little  fastidious  as  to  soil  that  it  will  grow  freely 
in  any  ordinary  mixture  and  with  no  special  attention.  Those  persons 
who  have  the  unenviable  peculiarity  of  spoiling  every  plant  that 
comes  into  their  possession,  carrying  the  principle  of  how  not  to  do 
it  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  short  work  even  of  plants  that  no 
ordinary  neglect  nor  mismanagement  suffices  to  kill,  have  here  a 
fitting  subject  on  which  to  exhibit  their  maladroitness,  as  it  would 
be  a  difficult  matter  to  prevent  it  growing  quite  as  well  as,  if  not  a 
great  deal  better  than,  the  majority  of  stove  plants. 
The  foliage  of  Cissus  discolor  is  so  beautiful  that  it  may  be 
employed  most  effectively  for  a  great  variety  of  decorative  purposes, 
and  this  is  a  strong  point  in  favour  of  the  plant.  Gardeners  who  grow  it 
for  the  purpose  indicated  very  frequently  adopt  the  plan  of  encouraging 
a  few  plants  to  grow  through  the  winter,  while  the  others  are  resting 
and  ripening,  and  when  the  latter  are  in  growth  subject  the  winter 
plants  to  a  corresponding  period  of  repose.  There  is  no  better  plan  for 
them  to  adopt,  but  the  system  opens  out  certain  details  of  manage¬ 
ment  that  less  experienced  fellow  workers  might  view  wuth  alarm, 
and  it  will  be  well  to  state  at  once  that  there  is  no  necessity  for 
them  to  risk  venturing  out  of  their  depth  with  this  very  accommo¬ 
dating  plant.  It  is  much  more  easy  to  grow  it  well  than  to  grow  it 
badly,  as  I  will  show.  The.  way  to  propagate  the  Cissus  is  by  cuttings, 
and  there  is  hardlj’^  a  plant  in  the  calendar,  as  I  have  proved  over 
and  over  again,  that  may  be  more  easily  increased  by  this  means.  It 
will  root  more  readily  than  a  Chrysanthemum,  and  it  may  be 
inserted  m  much  the  same  way.  Prepare  cuttings  of  the  young 
shoots  with  three  or  four  joints  and  insert  them  firmly  in  small  pots 
just  as  you  would  a  Chrysanthemum,  using  clean  pots  thoroughly 
drained,  and  filling  them  up  with  a  very  sandy  mixture.  In  a  warm 
house,  and  especially  if  kept  close,  it  is  astonishing  how  soon  nice 
little  plants  will  be  had  in  this  simple  manner,  and  if  the  heat  were 
not  too  dry  I  have  no  doubt  they  would  root  nearly  as  readily  in  a 
warm  cupboard,  although  I  have  not  tried  them.  These  little  plants 
can  be  repotted  when  they  have  rooted  freely,  and  will  then  make 
rapid  progress. 
Three  things  our  plant  enjoys — plain  substantial  food  in  the  way 
of  soil,  plenty  of  water  (consequently  the  mould  must  be  very  porous 
and  free),  and  a  warm,  genial  atmosphere,  such  as  would  be  comfort¬ 
able  for  the  grower  as  well  as  the  plants.  As  to  the  first,  do  not  wait 
expectantly  for  me  to  describe  some  special  mixture.  Perhaps  a  lesson 
will  be  learned  by  noting  what  the  nurseryman  had  potted  them 
in,  but  anyway,  a  free,  fertile  compost  that  will  suit  Fuchsias, 
“  Geraniums,”  and  Chrysanthemums,  and  which  the  local  florist,  were 
he  consulted  on  the  subject,  would  call  “good  potting  stuff,”  will  suit 
the  Cissus  admirably.  If  I  could  suggest  any  improvement  at  all  it 
would  be  to  add  a  little  more  sand.  Plenty  of  crocks  must  be  used 
over  the  large  piece  that  covers  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot, 
otherwise  the  care  taken  to  provide  a  porous  soil  would  be  so  much 
labour  lost.  When  potted  the  plants  must  be  examined  frequently, 
and  the  soil  never  allowed  to  become  dust  dry,  but  copious  supplies  of 
water  given  before  the  mould  is  in  such  a  condition  as  to  fall  through 
the  fingers  when  rubbed.  Syringing  should  also  be  practised  several 
times  a  week  when  the  plants  are  in  free  growth.  Give  them  plain 
food  and  they  will  not  languish  for  dainties  ;  give  them  plenty  of 
water  and  they  will  need  no  wine. 
I  have  spoken  of  trellises.  Vigorous  plants  in  large  pots  may  be 
trained  to  these  if  desired,  and  very  handsome  they  look  with  their 
marbled  foliage  clothing  them  well ;  but  there  is  another  way  of  grow¬ 
ing  them,  and  that  is  to  plant  them  out  in  the  border  to  cover  a  wall, 
letting  both  root  and  top  growth  have  free  play.  A  well-covered  wall 
gives  a  fine  effect.  Strong  plants  should  be  put  in  and  adequate  pro¬ 
vision  made  for  drainage.  Whether  grown  in  pots  or  planted  ovit  the 
plants,  like  Fuchsias,  will  want  a  winter  rest,  and  like  them  they  may 
be  pruned,  shaken  out,  and  repotted  when  breaking  into  fresh  growth 
in  spring. 
There  are  one  or  two  other  points  in  the  cultivation  of  Cissus  dis¬ 
color  which  I  had  intended  to  refer  to,  but  my  allotted  space  is  already 
more  than  full.  One  of  them  was  loss  of  variegation  in  the  leaves,  but 
if  I  merely  state  that  rich  soil  and  unchecked  sun  heat  both  tend  to 
this,  the  means  of  avoiding  it  will  be  obvious. — P. 
DECORATIVE  WORK. 
{jContintied  fr«m  page  234.) 
Ox  the  larger  scale  of  our  subject  the  primary  features  of  church 
decoration  in  its  different  phases  may  claim  attention.  Harvest 
festivals  now  at  hand  generally  necessitate  the  inclusion  of  a 
heterogeneous  amount  of  material,  comprising  individual  offerings, 
which  under  the  circumstances  must  perforce  be  used.  This,  however, 
if  playing  a  prominent  part,  is,  so  far  as  the  principal  points  are 
concerned,  but  accessory  to  them.  To  enumerate  the  varieties  of 
material  so  profusely  furnished  at  this  particular  season  is  scarcely 
necessary ;  one  needs  only  to  mention  the  wild  Hop,  the  Traveller’s 
Joy  Clematis,  and  the  Virginian  Creeper  which,  possibly,  afford  the 
most  elegant  drapery  one  could  have  for  the  purpose.  Other  things, 
also,  of  a  similar  nature  suggest  their  suitability  for  being  thus 
employed.  The  manner  of  employing  them  is,  too,  so  generally 
obvious  as  to  call  for  but  little  remark. 
Stately  Palms  lend  by  their  presence  at  all  seasons  a  dignity 
peculiarly  their  own,  and  those  w*ho  have  seen  twin  specimens  of 
Seaforthia  elegans  towering  high  over  the  chancel  rails  will  agree  as  to 
the  excellence  of  the  effect  obtained.  One  such  pair  was  used  re¬ 
peatedly  in  a  ^particular  church,  and  a  leaf  of  each  plant  caught 
together  at  the  points  by  an  invisible  tie  formed  a  perfect  arch,  whilst 
the  tubs  were  concealed  by  an  enveloping  group  of  Ferns  and  Panicum 
plicatum.  Difficulties  often  arise  from  the  prohibition  of  nails  or 
from  its  being  ;impossible  to  use  them  amongst  stonework.  A  little 
ingenuity  will,  however,  find  means  to  the  end  of  securing  wreaths  or 
other  greenery  to  the  outlines  where  tying  on  is  not  available,  but  no 
doubt  should  remain  as  to  the  security  of  the  method  of  fastening. 
Apropos  of  the  above,  one  occasion  is  recalled  when  a  very 
uncomfortable  half  hour  was  spent  wffiilst  our  worthy  pastor 
preached  his  Christmas  sermon,  due  to  some  little  difference  of 
opinion  arising  on  the  previous  day  over  the  securing  of  a  sub¬ 
stantial  Holly  wreath  which  outlined  the  top  and  base  of  the 
pulpit.  This  being  a  fine  example  of  carved  Caen  stone,  my  plan 
of  securing  the  wreaths  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  our 
good  minister,  who,  being  of  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind,  devised  a 
plan  whereby  the  whole  decorative  fabric  depended  upon  one  nail 
fixed  in  the  flooring  to  which  the  principal  strings  were  fastened. 
This  was  sufficient,  provided  the  reverend  foot  did  not  dislodge  it, 
and  though  declining  all  responsibility  for  the  makeshift,  the 
promise  of  “  I’ll  be  sure  to  keep  clear  of  it,”  was  not  received 
without  misgiving,  unfortunately  justified  on  the  morrow,  when 
warming  to  his  discourse,  the  good  man  entangled  his  foot  in  the 
strings,  and,  to  our  mutual  dismay,  the  wreaths  collapsed.  However, 
out  of  evil  came  good,  and  on  the  next  occasion  some  light  U-shaped 
steel  springs  were  worked  into  the  ends  of  the  wreaths  wffiich 
clasped  the  stone  edges  and  prevented  any  further  catastrophe  of 
the  kind. 
Such  things  are,  however,  rather  a  matter  of  detail  than  of  that 
broader  conception  fitting  a  framework  of  tastefully  arranged  foliage, 
which,  whilst  bold  in  design  on  the  one  hand,  is  not,  on  the  other, 
heavy  enough  to  hide  those  architectural  features  it  is  only  intended 
to  adorn.  Examples  of  this  kind  of  -work  may  even  here  miss  the 
happy  medium  through  an  over-refinement  of  detail.  For  instance, 
a  delicate  construction  composed  of  Wheat  ears  or  Barley  arranged 
as  wreaths,  and  often  used  to  ornament  the  front  of  a  gallery  of  some 
considerable  length,  savours  too  much  of  those  straw  plaits  our 
coachmen  use  for  their  stables,  and  are  only  produced  with  the  same 
infinite  care  and  labour.  The  end  attained  does  not  appear  to  justify 
the  elaborate  means  employed  when,  at  half  the  expose  of  time, 
more  satisfaction  is  derived  from  what  is  bold  and  striking,  if  more 
roughly  manufactured.  This  may  not  mean  much  in  a  way,  unless 
from  a  gardener’s  point  of  view,  which  we  are  now  considering ;  then, 
to  a  man  troubled  with  many  things  it  means  a  good  deal. 
Decorations  of  this  kind  may  often  have  to  remain  for  some  con¬ 
siderable  time,  compared  with  the  fleeting  subjects  of  cut  flowers  and 
foliage,  of  which  they  largely  consist.  The  contrast  between  the 
pristine  freshness  of  the  first  day  and  that  of  a  week  or  more  is  often 
strongly  in  evidence,  but  much  of  this  is  preventible  by  a  little  careful 
