27 



SPRING- FLOWERS.— THE DAPHNE. 



This is a genus which, affords us, 

 during the winter and spring months, 

 a variety of the most delightfully fra- 

 grant flowers we possess, either for 

 cutting for bouquets, or for the deco- 

 ration of conservatories, greenhouses, 

 or halls ; and no plant grown is a 

 greater favourite with the ladies than 

 this, and the possession of a few large 

 plants to cut from is a consideration 

 with most gardeners. The sorts com- 

 monly grown, and most deserving 

 attention, are D. odora, D. indica alba, 

 D. indica rubra, and the little hardy 

 variety D. cneorum, for forcing. As 

 it takes several years to grow a large 

 plant from a cutting, and as, besides, 

 they do not flourish so luxuriantly on 

 their own roots as when worked upon 

 the hardy Daphne laureola,, or Spurge 

 Laurel, that grows in our woods, some 

 of the latter should now be procured 

 and potted, to graft the sweet varieties 

 on, and to be in readiness against the 

 pits or frames are got to work. They 

 flourish in a nice soft loam, rather 

 sandy than otherwise, but any loamy 

 compost, with one-third part peat 

 added, will grow them, or the soil 

 might in many cases, be obtained 

 with the plants. In selecting, choose 

 plants with clean stems for a few 

 inches above the surface of the soil ; 

 then, if it branch off into three or four 

 shoots, it will afford the opportunity of 

 putting on several scions, and thereby 

 ensure a large plant at once. In 

 potting, press the soil very firm about 

 the roots, and set them by in any cool 

 house, until a nice bottom-heat and 

 moist atmosphere can be secured, such 

 as a cucumber pit or dung-bed affords. 

 Then plunge the pots, and cut off the 

 head of the stock to within a little of 

 the place where the scions are to be 

 put on; in a week or fortnight after 

 the grafting may be performed. For 

 this purpose, take the pots out and 

 put in some convenient place for per- 

 forming the operation, taking care 

 they do not get chilled ; and after the 

 grafting is done, replace them again 

 in the bottom-heat ; there to remain 

 until a union between the stock and 

 Bcion has been effected ; this will be 



known by the growth of the latter, 

 when they should be gradually inured 

 to bear the ordinary treatment. 



As the stock will generally be 

 thicker than the scion, I use either 

 the cleft or the wedge methods of 

 grafting. The first of these consists 

 in splitting the top of the stock, and 

 inserting a small wedge of wood 

 whilst the scion is fitted in, which is 

 done by cutting one side of the sciou 

 thin and tapering, so that the bark of 

 the one fits to the bark of the other. 

 For the second method, the scion is 

 prepared in just the same manner, but 

 instead of splitting the stock, I merely 

 cut one, two, or three notches in the 

 side, so that the scion may fit in and 

 the barks come together as in the 

 other way. This is the plan I adopt 

 with large stocks, as I can thus put 

 two or three scions on, which soon 

 form a large head ; and it is the best 

 for the trailing var. D cneorum, as it 

 will then form a nice compact head, 

 and should be worked at about the 

 height of a foot from the pot. These 

 must be tied and clayed over as in 

 grafting the apple, and those who can 

 accomplish the one can also perform 

 the other ; and I fancy there are not 

 many who have any pretensions to a 

 knowledge of gardening but have tried 

 their hand at grafting an apple. 



The rationale of their culture may 

 be summed up in few words. As they 

 bloom in winter, on the points of the 

 shoots made during the previous sum- 

 mer, it behoves the cultivator to obtain 

 a vigorous crop of young shoot- 1 , and 

 when obtained to ripen well the 

 incipient flower-buds forming upon 

 them ; to do which, place the plants 

 in a nice growing temperature of 60' 

 to 70°. As soon as the blossoms fade 

 the young wood will then grow rapidly 

 and may be pinched in moderation to 

 increase the number of shoots; they 

 should be kept growing until July, 

 then to be placed out of doors 

 until the middle of September, 

 then to be kept in the greenhouse 

 until its flowering season is again 

 over. Care should be taken that worms 

 do not disturb the drainage of the pots, 



