where, if kept regularly, but moderately watered, they will soon fill the pots with roots, and require to be shifted into a larger size when they receive their third shift, they may be removed into the greenhouse, placed near the glass, and be watered, twice a week, with clear liquid manure-water, in a tepid state.

In

Beautiful as are a great many of the herbaceous class of this very interesting tribe, and desirable as they are, to every lover of flowers, yet, as an ornament for decorating the stage of a greenhouse, the shrubby species and varieties are, in my opinion, much preferable, and for more than one reason. the first place, they are generally much hardier, and more free of flowering; and, secondly, they are more easily managed by amateurs who cannot always possess the assistance of an experienced or skilful gardener. Another advantage is, that, in raising them from cuttings in the fall, and through the dark days of winter, they are much less liable to damp off, than the herbaceous varieties, Some may object, perhaps, that they are not so rich in variety of coloring; but I can assure all such, that I have seen shrubby varieties, that, for brilliancy of coloring, elegance of shape, and neatness of foliage, no plants of any class could surpass them.

COMPOST.

I now come to the soil or compost, most suitable for these plants, and I have found the following will grow and flower them, the best of any I have tried :-To one barrowful of fibrous loam, taken from an old pasture, not more than three or four inches thick, add one barrowful of leaf mould, one fourth of a barrow of well decomposed cow manure, and one fourth of a barrow of heath soil, with sufficient fine charcoal to render the whole free and porous. The whole should be chopped and turned over a few times, that it may be thoroughly mixed, but not sifted, and all the grubs, slugs, and wireworms, carefully sought for and destroyed, every time it is turned. It ought to be kept in a dry place, and used rather dry than otherwise.

WINTER MANAGEMENT.

I

All the stock plants intended to be preserved through the winter, must be protected from frost in flued pits, or a cool greenhouse. At the time of removal into winter quarters, every dead leaf must be picked off, the pots washed clean, the moss cleared off the surface, and a little fresh earth put on. All straggling branches should be trimmed and tied up, and a good syringing given to the shrubby species especially. As, at the same time, most of the inmates of the greenhouse will be taken in, it is desirable to fill the house with tobacco smoke, two or three times, which will generally be found to destroy all the green fly, or aphides on the plants, at this season. may here remark, that there is nothing so destructive to the herbaceous species, as the green fly. I have known hundreds of plants lost by their pernicious attacks; particular care must therefore be taken, at all times of the year, against this pest. In arranging these plants in the houses, the herbaceous species should be placed nearest the glass, be sparingly watered, and have abundance of air admitted on all favorable days. The shrubby species will require rather more water, but the treatment is the same, as to giving air. The cooler these plants are kept during the dead season of winter, the better specimens will they make for ornamenting the greenhouse, when introduced into a growing heat, that is, providing they do not get injured by frost.

When fine specimens are desired, the plants may have a shift into larger pots, in February. In performing this operation, a little of the top and side soil may be rubbed off with the hand. The pots must be thoroughly drained, and a little moss or rough soil put over the drainage; pot them moderately firm, and remove them into a pit or greenhouse, with a temperature ranging from 50° to 55°, placing them close to the glass; they may then have sufficient water to wet the soil through, and be kept as close to the glass as possible, for a few days, which will encourage them to make fresh roots, after which, air must be admitted at every favorable opportunity, being careful, however, to avoid cutting winds, which are very injurious to the plants. Water when it is found ne

cessary, but not, however, till it is really necessary; for it is as great an error to give too much water, as too little; and I always fancy it safest to err on the dry side. Avoid, as much as possible, wetting the leaves, as they are very liable to damp off, but they may have a slight shower from the syringe, when closing up the house, on fine evenings. As they advance in growth, let the shoots be neatly tied out to stakes; but none of them must project above the plants, as, to the eye of those who have good taste, they appear unsightly. By following the above hints, and giving an occasional watering, of clear liquid manure, the cultivator will be abundantly rewarded for all the trouble and anxiety bestowed on them.

SUMMER MANAGEMENT.

Presuming that the plants are coming into flower, a good taste is requisite in arranging them, so as to produce the best effect on the stage. In general, it may be said, that striking contrasts should be avoided; as, for instance, a bright yellow and a brilliant scarlet should not be directly in contact; but intermediate shades should be placed between them, so as gradually to blend and form a soft harmonious whole. Some means should be adopted to keep flies, bees, &c., from the blooms, for, if not attended to, they very soon destroy them. The cheapest and most suitable material I know of, would be some common gauze, which, I am told, is very cheap. I would also recommend the lights to be white-washed, which acts as a shade for the blooms, and considerably prolongs their season of flowering. As soon as done blooming, the plants may be trimmed down, and cuttings put in from the choice varieties, under a hand-glass, in a shady place; when well rooted, they may be potted off singly, into small pots, the soil being light and sandy. The old plants may be shook out, the roots reduced, and potted off into as small pots as possible, put into a frame, where they can be protected from heavy rains, by putting on the lights when found necessary; here they may remain, till removed to winter quarters, taking care to water, fumigate, and protect from heavy rains, when necessary; the latter must be constantly kept in view, and,

whether you can detect aphides or not, the house should be fumigated with tobacco once before the flowers expand. Slaten Island, N. Y. November, 1848.

ART. VI.

The Guava (Psidium Cattleyànum); its Cultivation and Management. By the EDITOR.

SOME years since, after reading an account of Cattley's Guava, (Psidium Cattleydnum,) in the Transactions of the London Horticultural Society, accompanied with a beautiful representation of the fruit, we were so much pleased with its appearance that we made great exertions to procure a plant. Fortunate, as we thought we were, in finding one, we cultivated it carefully for a long time, and began to despair of its ever giving a crop of fruit, when, to our astonishment, it proved to be the old yellow-fruited species, P. pyriferum, unworthy a place, unless in some very large and extensive collection. Subsequently, we endeavored to procure the true P. Cattleyanum from various sources, but never were enabled to get the true one, or even the sight of a plant.

In the autumn of 1844, as we were looking through the hothouses in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, with the late Mr. McNab, the curator, whose death has just been announced, we were struck with the appearance of a plant of this Guava laden with fruit. Mr. McNab gave us half a dozen of them, and, on our return home, we had the pleasure of raising six or eight plants, which grew finely, and produced some fruit in the fall of 1846, though only about fifteen inches high. In 1847, they bore again; and the past autumn so abundantly that, from one plant, we gathered about four dozen of the fruit.

The Psidium Cattleyanum is not only one of the richest dessert fruits, but is one of the most ornamental plants in the greenhouse. The growth is vigorous, regular, and upright, with slightly pendulous branches, and with large, deep green, glossy leaves, nearly as handsome as the camellia. The an

nexed engraving, (fig. 7,) represents a plant well grown, about three feet high, and four years old.

This Guava is a native of China, where it forms a fine evergreen shrub, or low tree, producing an abundance of fruit about the size of small plums, of a deep rich purple color, having the flavor of the pine apple and strawberry combined. When fully ripe, they form one of the most delicious additions to the dessert; and, made into a jelly, it is well known they surpass, in delicacy of flavor, every other fruit used for this purpose. A dozen of the Guavas will make about half a pint of the delicious jelly, and the value of a few plants bearing from four to six dozen fruit Fig. 8 represents the size and

shape of a well-grown Guava taken from one of our plants. Under judicious treatment, and

with the aid of a hothouse, the fruit may be had nearly all winter. Like the fig, the plants bear two crops; one in the autumn, and one about Christmas. We have, at the present time, (Dec. 20th,) plants loaded. with fruit nearly or quite ripe, and have already gathered a number. In the cool temperature of the greenhouse, the fruit does not ripen off, and acquire that great richness

which it will in the hothouse; but Fig. 8. Fruit of the Guava. the autumn crop is equally abundant and excellent.

RAISING YOUNG PLANTS.

Plants may be raised from seeds, or cuttings: by the former method they are slower in coming on, though they eventually