THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 183 



blooming, they will furnish a capital supply of fine healthy cuttings. 

 You will observe that the fuchsia generally produces a pair of leaves 

 at the node, and a shoot from the base of each leaf; but sometimes 

 a vigorous plant will produce three leaves and three shoots at the 

 node, and when these can be obtained, they will always form the 

 most symmetrical plants; for, if judiciously managed, they will 

 maintain the same habit during the season's growth. The best ma- 

 terial for striking the cuttings in is equal parts of leaf-mould and 

 silver sand — a composition that almost any plant will readily strike 

 roots in. We strike our cuttings in small thumb-pots, one cutting 

 in each pot, as they are better to manage in this way than strikini? 

 a number of cuttings in one pot ; for, let us be ever so careful in. 

 separating a pot of cuttings, we are almost sure to damage some of 

 their roots, which must retard the progress of the plant until it can 

 repair the loss by forming new roots. JSTow, these fibres and their 

 succulent extremities, which are called spongioles, are the parts by 

 which alone they absorb or suck up fluid. The fact is, that this ab- 

 sorption takes place with the greatest rapidity through soft, newly- 

 forming tissue, and is what gives the spongioles their peculiar power. 

 They are, in fact, the growing points of the rootlets, which are con- 

 stantly increasiug in length, and which, in this manner, go in search, 

 as it were, of the supplies of food of which they have exhausted the 

 soil that previously covered their extremities. 



If the cuttings are put in at the time mentioned, and watered 

 over the foliage with a tine rose watering-pot, and placed in a close 

 pit or frame, and shaded from bright sunshine, they will strike root 

 readily without artificial heat. As soon as they begin to grow, give a 

 little air to keep the plants healthy, and from being drawn up weakly. 

 As soon as the young plants are well established in their pots, 

 they should be removed to a more airy situation, to harden them 

 for the winter. About the beginning of October they should be 

 shifted from the small thumb-pot to a sixty-sized pot, which will be 

 sufhcient to carry them through the winter, as the less growth they 

 make during that season the better for the future plant. A soil 

 composed of turfy peat, leaf-mould, and silver sand, equal parts, is 

 the best for winter potting ; for, being light and porous, it allows 

 the water to pass ofi" freely. The time for starting the plants into 

 growth will depend entirely on circumstances. Those who require 

 to have their plants early in bloom should place them in artificial 

 heat in the month of January. A temperature of 45' to 50' will 

 be sufiicient to begin with, and increase the heat as the season ad- 

 vances. Where there is not accommodation for beginning so early, 

 the plants will be better at rest till the end of February or begin- 

 ning of March, for if the plants are started into growth too early, 

 andthen get a check, they will never do so well afterwards. 



AVhen the plauts have made fresh roots, and begin to grow, 

 allow the soil in the pot to get nearly dry, then turn them out 

 of their pots, and shake as much of the old mould from them as can 

 be done conveniently without damaging the roots, and repot them 

 into well-drained clean pots, in a mixture of turfy loam, turfy peat, 

 and leaf-mould, equal parts, and add some sand to keep the soil 



