^K^ FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



181 



Is this, then, as it should ba, or is it not 

 more reasonable to suppose that this pecii- 

 liiir exu lation, Niiture'.- own liealing salve, 

 Would be developed in all cases aliiie, and 

 under one particular set of circuuisiances, 

 provided tne |/roper medium were once 

 tnorougiily understood t 



An approximation towards this end has 

 at length been made. Common sharp 

 sand dried until it will stream tliiough tlie 

 fingers like that in a sand-glass is the 

 article employed, and a rougli wooden box, 

 or anything tight enough to contain so 

 lickle a substance, is all tlie apparatus re- 

 quired. The vessel maj^ be hlled brimful 

 of sand and cuttings in alternate layers, 

 and must then be buried outof siglit under 

 a greenhouse stage, or any similar place, 

 where the underground temperature will 

 he comparatively steady and not too warm. 

 The exact degree of warmth required, and 

 which may be readily ascertained by ex- 

 periment, is, I opine, the greatest amount 

 they are able to bear without endangering 

 the bursting of the buds, which, of course, 

 would exhaust the sap and thus defeat our 

 object. The callousing process completed 

 they must then be gradually inured to the 

 usual amount of heat, light, air, and mois- 

 ture of the propagating house. 



A word here in regard to the nature of 

 the callus, as very erronejus ideas are 

 somstimes entertained by gardeners con- 

 cerning it. Some are under the impression 

 that it is nothing more or less than a 

 bundle of roots in embryo, which may or 

 may not be developed according to circum- 

 stances ; and I have never heard anyone 

 speak on the subject, who did not seem to 

 take it for granted either that the rootlets 

 "issue immediately from the callus, or that, 

 come wlience they may, they penetrate 

 directly through it. In a series of articles 

 oa the "Science of Gardening," at pre-cnt 

 appearing in an English periodical, the 

 writer takes the same ground and more 

 than once affirrtJs that roots are emitted 



from the callus. Now, itnless I am strangely 

 mistaken, such an occurrence rarely if 

 ever Happens. After examining htindreds 

 of rooted cuttings 1 am cleariy euiiviiiCed 

 that tlie root fibres are in all cases emitted 

 laterally Iroin near the base, and tliat in 

 those instances in which they do seem to 

 issue from the callus, it is merely an illu- 

 sion caused by the swelling of the latter, 

 around the ends of the cuttings. Dr. 

 Lindley remarks that, in " cuttings the 

 callus, which forms at the end placed in 

 the ground, is the cellular, horizontal 

 system, preparing for the reception of the 

 perpendicular system, which is to pass 

 downwards in the form of roots." This is 

 so theoretically, but, as before observed, it 

 is highly improbable that the perpendicttlar 

 system is ever so received, the roots show- 

 ing a ranch greater afhuity to their new 

 surrounding than they have to the callus, 

 of wiiich they are entirely independent. 



in the work from which the above 

 quotation is taken, the '' Theory of Horti- 

 culture," the callus is spoken of as "those 

 processes which usually precede the forma- 

 tion of roots," and this is, indeed, the only 

 point that we as gardeners need care much 

 about. Once become fully impressed with 

 the belief that any attempt to excite cut- 

 tings prematurely is wrong in principle, 

 and we are then able to account i)»r many 

 of those failures in propagating which 

 otherwise appear to us inexplicable. 



One other remark before I close. Last 

 spring I selected a few sticks of pt-ar buds 

 and also a few quince shoots of a corre- 

 sponding size. The quince cuttings were 

 made into lengths of three eyes each, the 

 middle eye neatly cut out and a pear bud 

 inserted in its place. When I examined 

 them some time after I found every one 

 of tliem beautifully united, and also the 

 quinces calloused at the base. Can the 

 idea be turned to j^rofitable account ? — 

 American Gardener's MonlMi/. 



GAllDEK AND GREENHOUSE WOEK 1 Oli AUGUST. 



AzALKAs may yet be propagated by 

 cuttings from young wood, taken oif close 

 t) the shoots from which they issue, and 

 planted in sand under hand or bell-glasses. 

 As soon as rooted, put them singly in 

 fibrj' peat, with a good admixture of sand, 

 and plenty of drainage. 



Calceolabias may be propagated now 

 from short stubby side-shoots. Fill the 

 eutting-pans with a mixture of half peat 

 r.nd half sand. 



I Camellias, to flower early, may be 



I brought into the greenhouse; the remainder 



\ may remain out till the end of next month. 



I be propagated now with the least possible 



amount of trouble, and cuttings should be 



j Dahlias to be frequently looked over, 



j to see that they are staked securely, to 



j remove superfluous shoots, and loosen anv 



ties that have become tight. Disbud freely 



plants intended to furnish flowers for show'. 



(treknhouse Pl.vnts of all kinds may 



