78 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



old roots to be propagated. Like most kinds of plants at this sea- 

 son, a brisk heat is necessary to propagate them. Lobelia, Cineraria 

 maritima, Perilla nankin ensis, Tagetes, and a number of other use- 

 ful plants for bedding, may be sown soon. They require heat and nice 

 light soil to vegetate in ; they grow rapidly and are very useful. In 

 hot southern localities Lobelia and Perilla may be sown next month. 

 They will, by being late, last in good condition late in the season. 

 Bedding plants of all kinds may be propagated forthwith. To make 

 success more certain, the cutting plants should be growing vigor- 

 ously in w^armth ; w hen they are put into well - drained pots or 

 pans filled with sandy light soil, they will never stop growing, and 

 can be afterwards potted or boxed, and hardened ofif by degrees 

 when they have taken hold of the fresh soil. Geraniums, Petunias, 

 Salvias, Heliotropes, and a few of any other flowering plants, may be 

 potted on if a display is wished early in the season. Healthy soil, 

 and the plants kept free from cold draughts, are necessary to vigorous 

 growth. "Stage" and "fancy" Pelargoniums with their pots full of 

 roots may be repotted in good turfy loam mixed with a little charcoal 

 and sand. A little bone-dust in the soil suits well. Many little plants 

 may be potted on where specimens are w^anted, but it is simply absurd 

 to fix dates for potting or real size of pots, as this can only be regulated 

 by the size of plants required, the time they are wanted in flower, and 

 the present state of the roots. A growing plant should not be allowed 

 to become pot-bound, and overpotting is a great evil, as roots crammed 

 in a potful of soil are very difi'erent to what they are growing in nat- 

 ural ground. Chrysanthemums may be propagated in a frame with little 

 heat, but abundance of air allowed when growth commences. Some 

 growers propagate as early as December, but the most vigorous speci- 

 mens may be had when growth receives no check. Good little plants 

 are got from cuttings put in in May ; and those with no glass in their 

 possession may have fair success by dividing the roots in April, re- 

 taining the finest growths. Epacris, winter-flowering Heaths, Acacias, 

 &c., may be cut in when done flowering and rested for a time. 



M. T. 



ON GRAFTING. 



What is the theory of grafting, at least in so far as the nature 

 and affinity of the stock and scion in relation to each other are con- 

 cerned 1 



We know there are some families of trees, including a goodly num- 

 ber of species, and even genera, w^hich take readily on each other, — 

 for instance, Plum stocks of various sorts ; yet all Plums are used 



