324 THE GARDENER. [July 



STEPHANOTIS FLORIBUNDA. 



Your correspondent, Mr Nokes, having given his experience of this 

 valuable stove-flowering climber, p. 273, perhaps a few additional notes 

 concerning a fine plant we have had here this year may not be unin- 

 teresting. It is a young specimen, say about three years old, planted 

 out in a place built for it in the bed of the plant stove. Under these 

 circumstances, there being a few hot-water pipes in the bottom of the 

 bed to supply bottom heat, with the same treatment, as far as atmo- 

 sphere is concerned, as the other plants in the house, the plant has 

 bloomed magnificently. It made vigorous growth last year, and con- 

 tinued growing all winter. Early in the year we observed, from the 

 many little prominences, I may say hundreds, that showed themselves 

 near the axils of the leaves, that we were going to have a good show 

 for flower. As the season advanced, the plant kept pace accordingly ; 

 and it happened on the 3d of April that w^e cut our first Stephanotis. 

 Since then we have been cutting at it ever since, more or less every day 

 or evening, still having some left ; and I believe that, had it not been 

 that we cut it so freely, the plant could hardly have perfected all its 

 blossom. As it was, the plant showed the effects of an over-weaken- 

 ing power by the young shoots getting very spindly, the young leaves 

 not developing fully, and suchlike ; but we hope that it will soon push 

 away again in renewed vigour, and give us some more flowering in the 

 autumn. The plant lately has had frequent waterings with manure- 

 water, a good top-dressing, and the soil it grows in is composed of 

 turfy peat and loam, with a slight mixture of sand. I may say that 

 the plant covers about half the area of the roof of a house about 30 

 feet long by 18 feet wide. Robert Mackellak. 



June 10. 



GBAFTING. 



Allow me to call the attention of your readers once more to this sub- 

 ject — not this time as an experiment in vegetable physiology, or to 

 show what unnatural subjects may be made to unite together, but as 

 a natural, though not very generally practised, process for attaining a 

 very desirable end. 



Take the case of fancy-leaved Geraniums, for instance; it is of 

 importance that anything out of the usual way should be got into a 

 large state as quickly as possible. To give an example : Calling on 

 a nurseryman engaged in this branch of trade, I was shown a large 

 plant of a fine variety, of quite recent introduction. I could not ac- 

 count for it until let into the secret, that the principal branches on an 



