JoDO 31, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



469 



if plants are grown withont fire heat with plenty of air they 

 will be strong and bnshy. From thoee healthy plants slip 

 off small sturdy shoots (do not out them), and insert them 

 in light soil with plenty of silver sand in it ; press them firmly 

 in the pots, and then plunge in a very gentle bottom heat of 

 leaves or dung; shade them from the sun's rays, bat not 

 densely — just suiSoient to prevent them flagging, and thf-y will 

 be rooted and ready to pot-off in a month. They should be 

 potted firmly. In the autumn I have found them strike well 

 under a hand-glass in the same way as we strike Pinks, &a. 

 Small plants planted out now in good ordinary garden soil in 

 a warm situation will aiiord plenty of cnttings during the sum- 

 mer and autumn months. They should be wintered in a cold 

 frame, and old plants can be taken up and potted and simi- 

 larly wintered, for they are not quite hardy. They winter 

 better in a frame than on the stage of a greenhouse. 



Kleixia bepess. — This is a very distinct succulent plant. 

 It has a most peculiar shade of colour — greyish blue ; in fact, 

 it has more blue in its foliage than any other that I am 

 acquainted with. It is a very useful plant for artistic geometri- 

 cal designs-, for it makes a pleasing contrast with any colour. 

 No edging plant is more distinct, and few are more effective. 

 It is easily propagated. Every leaf may soon be made into a 

 plant without any difficulty. In the first place prepare some 

 pota or pans as follows : — Well drain them, nearly fill them 

 with soil, and place half an inch of silver sand on the top ; 

 then strip oS the little round-pointed leaves from the plant 

 (do not cut them) by gently pulling them downwards, beginning 

 at the bottom and working upwards. The top out off with 

 an inch of the stem will make a plant very soon if inserted 

 in the sand. June, July, and August is the best time for the 

 propagating of all succulent plants from leaves, and it is 

 necessary to expose them to the free action of light to prevent 

 damping and to induce root-action. The soil and the sand 

 should be watered previously to inserting the tops, and again 

 afterwards to make firm. Place the pots or pans upon a shelf 

 near the glass, and withont any more attention being given 

 them they will be on their own roots in a fortnight. The 

 leaves may be pricked-in in the sand in the same way, or they 

 may be laid on the surface. They will make roots in the air 

 and find their way down into the soil. A large stock of 

 Kleinia may thus be raised in a very short time. — N. Cole. 



inflicted by Hercules, but does not tell us the properties of 

 the plant. It is said that the Daurians and Mongols boil the 

 roots of Pitonia edulis in their broth, and grind the seeds and 

 put them in their tea. 



It is recorded that when the double red Pieony was introduced 

 at Antwerp in the sixteenth century it was sold for twelve 

 crowns a-root, but now they may be obtained for as many 

 pence. Our favourites are numerous and widely distributed, 

 for they are " at home " in Cbina, Siberia, Candia, the Levant, 

 North America, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and even our 

 highly favoured land is credited with one of the family, but I 

 rather doubt its claim to citizenship ; yet Pieonia coralhna is 

 no despisable border flower, but how seldom is it met with ! 

 I venture the assertion, though reluctantly, that our Crowfoots 

 are among the neglected flowers. Coarse'.' Yes, we admit 

 that ; but look at them from a distance, and then tell us 

 whether their colours are magnificent or not. Lumpish ? 

 Granted ; but are not balls of crimson and other colours 

 desirable ? Give the plants an open space in a large shrubbery, 

 or any other place where you wish to have a blaze in summer, 

 trench up the space 2 or 3 feet deep, incorporate with it some 

 good friable loam, well-decayed manure, vegetable matter, and 

 coarse grit ; then let some of our vendors select twelve or 

 twenty-four varieties, and have them planted at good distances 

 and well attended to, and then tell me if they are not beautiful. 

 They will thrive in a moderately dry situation, yet should 

 I have water when required, and be secured with stakes to pre- 

 1 vent them being injured by the wind. When once established 

 I some of the smaller- growing kinds are suitable for the herba- 

 ceous border, and are highly effective in early summer. We 

 1 have during late years had some very choice additions to this 

 I family, and they only need to be seen to be appreciated. 

 ! Paionia tennifolia flore-pleno is a real gem, and ought to be 

 ! found in or about all gardens. P. fragrans should also have a 

 prominent place, and P.paradoxa,P.fimbriata,andP. anemonre- 

 ; flora only need to be seen to gain a place in the estimation 



of the lover and cultivator of border flowers. 

 I They are increased by seed, which is best sown as soon as 

 ripe in rich light soil placed in a cold pit or frame and kept 

 I moist. Patience must be exercised, as the seed may not ger- 

 minate for a twelvemonth or more ; they may also be increased 

 by division in the autumn, or in spring when growth has com- 

 menced. — Veritas. 



GIVING AIR. 



I HAVE no means of judging the result of "X.'s" practieei 

 but his theory (see page .S79) certainly does not commend 

 itself to me, and I have no doubt he is correct when he says 

 his lessons are hard to learn, and that he is obliged to supple- 

 ment them occasionally with what he terms a " slight wigging." 

 One reason why such men as " X." find a difficulty and accuse 

 their young men of inattention is that the young men of the 

 present day are shrewder and more intelligent than their pre- 

 decessors. While "X."has been standing still and fostering 

 his old master's exploded notions concerning " letting-off bad 

 air and vapour " from a forcing house, the world, and possibly 

 some of "X.'s" assistants, have been moving. Happily now 

 educated people are all becoming gardeners, and are scientific 

 too, and the reign of the old school is doomed. 



I have on several occasions tried to put my ideas on paper 

 concerning air-giving (see this Journal lor February 4th, 1875, 

 and February .3rd, 1876), but it is not at all an easy matter to 

 write on. ■' A Northebn Gardener " has also at times written 

 on the anbject, and written well too, as he does on every sub- 

 ject he undertakes. — William Taylor. 



OUR BORDER FLOWERS— CROWFOOTS. 



What changes have come over us and the world since Miller 

 gave to the world that wonder of the age, his botanists' and 

 gardeners' dictionary ! Speaking of the Piieony, he says that 

 culture gives to this plant double flowers and alters their 

 colour into all degrees between a deep blood colour and white. 

 The leaves also become broader or narrower from the same 

 means. We readily admit that cultivation does a great deal 

 in producing fine foliage, but I am in doubt as to cultivation 

 producing double flowers ; however, we give credit to authors 

 that advance their experience for the good of others. Strange 

 stories are told about our border and other flowers. We are 

 told that " Paeonia " is derived from a physician named Pieon, 

 who was the first to use this plant in medical practice. The 

 Greek legend adds that he need it to care Plato of a woand 



DRAC^NA AUSTRALIS. 

 Mr. Calvert, in his paper on Crotons and Dracsenas read at 

 the Darlington Gardeners' Institute, mentions Dracaena aus- 

 tralia as useful during winter months for indoor and conserva- 

 tory decoration. I quite concur in Mr. Calvert's views, but at 

 the same time we have Dracaena australis here now flowering 

 (June 12t.h) in the open air. It was planted out five years ago 

 in centre of a large flower bed at a great elevation above the 

 sea ; it has received no protection of any kind. The plant is 

 about 10 feet high to where the flower spike began to show. 

 The spike appeared early in April, and is now 4 feet high and 

 3 feet through at the bottom branchlets ; it is now opening its 

 beautiful white flowers.— S. Deadman, TIic Gardens, Gorwatj, 

 Teignmouth, Devon. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



The dull, cold, and sunless weather of May has been followed 

 near London by real tropical weather, accompanied almost daily 

 by strong and searching winds, 80 ihat in every department of 

 the garden there has been and is still much to do to keep all in 

 first-class order. . , , s 



In the flower garden bedding-out, even m the most backward 

 of situations, ought now to be brought to a close. The latest of 

 spring-bedding plants are over, and subtropical plants will not 

 now foel their transition, but will take hold of the soil at once 

 and grow away freely. These and all other plants planted-oat 

 for the embelliahmeut of the garden should be encouraged by 

 every means to make a rapid growth and to cover the ground as 

 early as possible. Copious supplies of water are highly beneficial 

 to them. We generally, after planting, draw the soil away from 

 the base of each plant, forming litUe hollows, and then give to 

 each bed a good soaking of water, and afterwards run the hoe 

 through the beds to settle the soil around the roots. 



Rhododendrons and other American plants— as well as most 

 of our bi-autiful flowering border shrubs, such as the many 

 varieties of Hawthorn, Lilacs, Laburnums, &c.— have bloomed 

 well, but their period of flowering was both late and of very 

 short duration, owing to the protracted cold suddenly followed 



