THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 149 



tke previous year's growth ; aud the Deutzia gracilis, when grown 

 as it should be, and which every careful observer must have noticed, 

 furnishes us with its charming white flowers under exactly the same 

 conditions. But I must not fail to observe there is this difierence 

 between the two plants ; that the wood of the raspberry when it has 

 borne its fruit dies down, but in the Deutzia it retains its vitality for 

 years, and when well treated scarcely ever omits to flower. It is 

 this fact which leads many to suppose that their course of treatment 

 is the correct one ; but this is a mistake, for immediately the plant 

 has done flowering, all the old, or last year's wood, should be cut 

 out ; and while the operator is doing this he will observe a number 

 of young shoots springing up from the bottom ; these should be left, 

 and by taking away the old wood these young ones receive all the 

 strength of the roots. 



Those who wish to grow them on in pots should cut them down 

 one week previous to potting, when a great part of the old soil 

 should be shaken away from the roots, and pots a size larger be 

 used for the shift. A mixture of good turfy loam and well-decom- 

 posed stable dung is a suitable soil for them, and they must always 

 be potted firm. The most important object being to encourage a 

 strong growth, if too many young shoots should spring up from the 

 bottom, they should be thinned out ; for a 24-size pot, not more 

 than seven should be left. They must have every chance of making 

 a quick growth, which they will do better if they can be shaded from 

 very bright snnshine up to the end of September. The shade of a 

 south-west wall I have found to suit them admirably. After this 

 they should be fully exposed till they have had five or six degrees of 

 frost ; this exposure will ripen the young wood, and the frost will 

 arrest vegetation ; and if after this they are kept pretty dry at the 

 root, they will be fit for forcing by the first week in December, if 

 they are wanted thus early. 



To my mind, the system of pot-culture is a troublesome and 

 needless affair. Why should we go through all this routine of pot- 

 ting and watering, when there are other means more simple and more 

 satisfactory, which I shall dwell upon presently ? As I feel sure 

 the above plan of cutting down has not been practised by many, I 

 may here say that I am confident, when they have once adopted it, 

 they will never return to the old method, for not only has the plant 

 a more healthy and luxuriant appearance, but the individual flowers 

 are much larger, and plants so grown have altogether a much more 

 prepossessing appearance as compared with those that are flowering 

 upon old wood. 



The plan of growing it which I should recommend for all ordi- 

 nary circumstances is the following : — As soon as done flowering, 

 cut out the old wood, and in a few days after turn out the plants in 

 some rich piece of ground in the kitchen garden. I am in this case 

 presuming the plants have flowered naturally, so that the planting 

 out will not take place till all danger of frost is past, which might 

 check the young wood which they always make when they are 

 flowered under glass. The plants will want water in dry weather, 

 but clear water should be used till the plants have got well hold of 



