IN THE UNITED STATES, 49 



would ripen its wood well and yield abundance of flowers in 

 early spring-, or more probably in the mild climate of Eiig-land it 

 would bloom like the Cydonia Japonica, Chimonanthus fragrans, 

 the greater part of the winter. JPlanted out as a bush, an open, 

 airy situation should be chosen, where it would receive the direct 

 rays of the sun all day ; in all cases it should be guarrled against 

 overmuch moisture at the root : let the soil in which it grows be 

 ratlier dry than otherwise. In this way the wood would ripen 

 well in autumn, and would be followed by an almndant bloom. 

 The work from wliich I have already extracted considers it a 

 very useful plant for winter and spring forcing, an opinion in 

 which I entirely concur. 



In order to grow" this plant for winter blooming in the conser- 

 vatory or green-house, take strong young plants in the spring ; 

 shift them liberally, using any good compost ; stop the plant to 

 cause it to break into several shoots — as it is rather inclined to 

 throw one or two strong branches. As the plants progress in 

 growth they should be shifted occasionally, and frequently stopped ; 

 the best way of effecting this is, as soon as any shoots are ob- 

 served to grow longer than the others, to pinch out the extreme 

 points ; they will soon break freely : whereas if left till the wood 

 becomes firm and then shortened, they take a longer time lo 

 break, and they never do it so freely. When the plants have com- 

 pleted their growth, let them be placed in an open, sunny situa- 

 tion, — they cannot possibly be too much in the blaze of the sun : — • 

 here they should remain until autumn arrives, when tliey may 

 be plunged in any convenient situation. As the plants are re- 

 quired to bloom they may be introduced into tlie forcinij-house, 

 or what in my opinion is better and quite sufficient for the pur- 

 pose, a warm green house, placing them in the most sunny part 

 of it. In a house of this description the blooms would come 

 deeper in colour ; it is well known how pale and washy such 

 colours are out of the confined atmosphere of a forcing-house. 

 Whether used for the latter purpose, or grown in the open 

 border, as I have already stated, I consider this plant one of the 

 most valuable of Mr, Fortune's introductions. The Weigela, 

 though extremely beautiful, blooms at a season when many other 

 things are in flower, whilst the Forsythia blossoms when every 

 stray floret is welcome. 



Note. — The Weatlier Register at Shanghae given in the folio-wing 

 pages will materially elucidate the question of -what climate does for these 

 t-wo plants. 



VOL. VII. 



