266 THE FLORIST. 



The most common practice is to fill a quantity of small pots with 

 soil, on which the runners are laid, secured by placing a stone close to 

 the plant. Now, although good plants are obtaniable by this practice, 

 it is open to many objections, one of which is the large amount of 

 attention requisite to keep the soil in such small pots suthciently moist 

 to prevent the plants from suffering, for although the runners will be 

 kept alive by the parent plant, little progress will be made unless 

 attention is paid to supply the roots regularly with water. Another, 

 and perhaps a more serious objection to small pots, is that of having the 

 roots coiled and cramped up in so small a compass. I may perhaps be 

 told that the plants should not remain in the small pots till such has 

 taken place, or that it is an easy matter to liberate them at the time 

 they are re-potted. Strong runners — such as should be selected for 

 potting — will in a very short time fill a small pot full of roots, and it is 

 not at all times convenient to attend to the re-potting just at the time 

 they require it. As regards the liberating of the roots, it cannot be 

 done without giving a severe check to the young plants, nor are the 

 roots, after that operation, in a good state to ramify into the fresh soil 

 in which they are potted. 



The planting of the runners in the ground in which the old plants 

 are growing, though practised by some, is not so generally adopted as 

 its merits deserve, as I consider there are many advantages in this 

 system. The practice is to make a hole so large that it will contain 

 about as much tresh soil as a 48-sized pot ; it is then filled up with the 

 approved compost — loam and leaf - mould, through which a liberal 

 sprinkling of soot has been mixed, to keep the roots free from worms. 

 In this the runners are pressed down and well watered. In a 

 short time the fresh soil will become full of young fibres, and the 

 plants will grow vigorously ; water will occasionally be required during 

 hot weather. In about three weeks the plants are taken up and potted 

 into the pots in which it is intended to fruit them, taking care that each 

 plant is well watered before lifting. If this is attended to, the plants 

 will lift with the whole of the soil placed for them, and their roots will 

 be in a better state to take to the soil in which they are potted than 

 after being cramped up in small pots. 



P. S. 



NATIONAL FLORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 July 7- — Mr. Thomas Moore in the chair. Messrs. Downie & Laird, 

 of Edinburgh, sent a collection of fine Sweet-williams, remarkable for 

 rich colours, and some of them having distinct white centres. These 

 were of fine shape, and if they had possessed a smooth edge would have 

 been perfect in form. The whole of them were serrated on the edge, 

 notwithstanding which they were beautiful and attractive varieties. 

 Mr. W. Chater, of Saffron Walden, sent some spikes of seedling 

 Hollyhocks. The best of them were Beauty of Walden, shaded rosy 

 pink, high full centre and good guard, to which a first-class certificate 

 was awarded ; Sir William Middleton, light rosy salmon ; and Buff, 



