36 THE GARDENER. [Jan. 



the immediate vicinity of towns, where the scarcity of all good soils is 

 much felt, particularly the total absence of one very essential propagating 

 commodity — viz., leaf-mould — which necessitates the use of many make- 

 shift composites that would test the skill of the renowned provincial 

 propagator. Leaf-mould is not absolutely indispensable in propagating. 

 Peat is superior in the case of hard-wooded plants. Others root in pure 

 loam, while in sand alone many root rapidly ; but the roots produced in 

 sand are so long and tender that breakage while shifting is unavoid- 

 able, consequently the young plants get a check at a period when they 

 have little spare energy to withstand it. With a proportionate addi- 

 tion of leaf-mould to the sand, masses of short roots are formed into a 

 ball at the base of the cutting, which can be conveniently lifted and 

 replanted without ever molesting a fibre. Unquestionably leaf-mould, 

 or something equal to it, possesses advantages in tliis respect not to be 

 derived from other sources. As the propagating season advances with 

 the dawn of another year, the inauguration of Cocoa-Nut fibre as a 

 valuable substitute, containing all the rooting qualities of the mould, 

 may be of service to those whose endeavours have hitherto been 

 thwarted through the want of needful appliances in this indispensable 

 operation ; for on spring propagating of all sorts of soft-wooded bedding, 

 stove, and greenhouse plants, with sure and rapid strides, rests the 

 grand basis of the future display. 



Cocoa-Nut fibre affords great advantages in propagation. I find 

 cuttings root more surely and quickly in a mixture of fibre and sand 

 than in any other mixture I have tried, its soft texture having a 

 peculiar root-producing tendency — a result attended with many bene- 

 fits, as it is observable that cuttings, when long in rooting, soon become 

 weak and sickly. When used in pots or jDans, as each are emptied of 

 the rooted cuttings, the contents may be turned out, put through a 

 sieve, and again returned into the pots, and refilled with cuttings. 

 When a small bed is used (which is the best of all modes of propa- 

 gating), as each successive batch is removed a stir up is all that is 

 required previous to inserting another lot. As a plunging material it 

 is equal to, if not better than tan. When done with for this purpose 

 it makes an excellent covering for Hyacinths, Tulips, and all other 

 bulbs, previous to their introduction into forcing quarters. 



This convenient substance can be had in the neighbourhood of towns 

 where brush and mat factories exist for little more than the carting 

 away. J^urserymen supply it in bags of any quantity at a very cheap 

 rate. Though not new, it is surprising that this refuse, so easy of 

 access, should not be more taken advantage of by those whose supplies 

 of propagating materials are limited. J. M. 



