FOREIGN NOTICKS. 



as natural as if it had not been staked at all ; but wait till it has begun to straggle, and no 

 suhsiMjuent care will suffice to relieve it of the conBtrainofl unnatural aspect it must then 

 be made to wear. Whatever material be employed for supporting plants*, the chief ol)ject 

 should be to conceal the stakes ; and hence they ought to bo as straight and free from jiro- 

 jecting parts as possible, and as short and slender as comports with the purpose for which 

 they are designed. Crooked stakes, those which have irregular and broken branches, such 

 as are unnecessarily stout or tall, and stakes made of a soft pliable wood, or having too 

 rugged an exterior, are exceedingly unfit for ornamental uses in the case of erect-growing 

 species. The most proper are those which are smooth, straight, free from irregularities, 

 just strong enough to elTect their object, and so long as to reach only within a few inches of 

 the top of the specimen, or as high as support may be needed. There are likewise many 

 objections to the ordinary modes of applying stakes, or fastening plants to them. It is 

 wrong to place the stake between the plant and the path from which it is looked at ; for 

 the object that ought to be hidden is thus made most conspicuous. It is improper to thrust 

 the stake into the earth near the stem of the plant, particularly if it be a tuberous-rooted 

 or bulbous species ; since much damage may be done to the specimen, and probably some 

 of its main roots and sources of sustenance be cut off thereby. For the same reason, it is 

 equally erroneous to use a stick that is not prepared with a long smooth tapering point, or 

 has any considerable asperities on that portion that is to enter the ground. — M. S. 



Shrubby Calceolarias. — A very great improvement has lately been effected in this most 

 useful decorative plant by Mr. Cole and others, who have devoted some attention to hybrid- 

 izing for the purpose of obtaining improved varieties. We have this season bloomed a 

 full collection in pots, for the purpose of testing their respective merits, and ascertaining 

 which of them are most useful for bedding uses. Many of them have proved most valual)le 

 for this purpose ; others are only suitable for pot culture, and are not shrubby enough, in 

 habit, to stand the wear and tear of out-door work, and give a succession of bloom for the 

 season. Our aim now is to give some account of all the varieties we have grown, and par- 

 ticularly to show which are really useful as bedding plants. And, with regard to the culture 

 of Calceolarias in pots, our opinion is, that the shrubby varieties are far superior to the 

 herbaceous kinds for pot culture. In habit, and in duration of blooming, especially, they 

 are greatly superior, as they yield a succession of flowers for the season, while the herbace- 

 ous varieties do not remain in bloom half so long. They are also not so subject to green- 

 fly. The shrubby varieties are very easily grown from cuttings, and require much less 

 attention in wintering, as well as in their culture. Our method of growing them is this : 

 The plants are just cut down from which cuttings will be taken in September. During the 

 winter, they will be kept in dry, cold frames or pits, provided with small hot-water pipes in 

 front, to keep out frost and damp, and the plants will be ke^it as near the glass as possible, 

 to prevent drawing. They should be kept well aired and hardy, and quite free from green- 

 fly, by repeatedly fumigating them. Especial care should be taken to keep them growing, 

 and not allow them to receive a check, either from want of water, too much water, or any- 

 other cause. The soil we use consists of maiden loam, leaf-mould, and sand, mixed in a 

 rough state, and not sifted. The plants should be stopped two or three times at various 

 periods, and shifted as required, and 8-inch pots are quite large enough for full-sized speci- 

 mens. Plenty of air, kept fjrowinr/, arid cleanliness, are most important jjoiuts to be kept in 

 view. 



Dectzia Gracilis. — Few plants, among the recent introductions to our gardens, possess 

 more interest, or have proved more valuable than the Deutzia gracilis, not only as an orna- 

 ment for the shrubbery border, but also for pot cultivation. As a plant for early forcing. 



