EXPERIMENTAL GARDEN. 559 



It is only healthy and well-rooted plants that arc to be benefited by manures, 

 and such as are well supplied with hungry roots, but growing slowly for want 

 of nutriment. Such plants as have been for years in the same pot or tub, as 

 we frequently find orange and lemon trees, camellias, oleanders, &c., will be 

 greatly stimulated by the application of manurial liquids dm-ing their period 

 of growth. For plants of all kinds that have their pots filled with roots it will 

 be serviceable, and to such as fuchsias, pelangoniums, cineraries, &c., while 

 in flower, they will bloom longer and in greater perfection. But it should be 

 kept in mind that stimulants should not be applied while flower buds are form- 

 ing, as it might induce an increased wood-growth at the expense of the flower- 

 ing principle. 



Manurial liquids may be applied most freely when growth is active, discon- 

 tinued during the formation of floAver buds, and applied more sparingly dm-ing 

 the expansion of the blossoms. It is a safe rule to dilute severely, and use the 

 solution in a perfectly clear state. Thick, muddy water will not be of much 

 benefit, and stops up the pores in the soil, preventing free action of atmospheric 

 gases to the roots. 



Almost any substance that has manurial properties, and will dissolve readily, 

 may be rendered available. Every greenhouse or conservatory should have a 

 barrel fitted for the purpose. If furnished with a false bottom of close wire, 

 and a tap between it and the bottom of the barrel for drawing out the liquid, 

 manure water can easily be prepared^ 



PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 



To be successful in any pursuit it is very necessary that we should be con- 

 versant with the rationale upon which our operations are founded, and in no 

 horticultural process does this apply with so much force as in plant propaga- 

 tion by cuttings. 



There is, however, much in connexion with this subject that remains unex- 

 plained. We know not why it is that some plants will propagate readily, 

 while others, seemingly of similar structure, with the greatest tardiness and 

 difficulty. 



A cutting may be described as a portion of the branch of a plant that is 

 removed and placed in a position to form roots, so as to become an independent 

 individual, possessing all the properties, and being a living representative of 

 the original from which it was taken. Cuttings are of various kinds. Young, 

 tender shoots, perfectly matured growths, and wood in all stages of maturity 

 intermediate between these extremes, are used for cuttings. 



The best condition of wood-growth also varies with the kind of plant. This 

 is a question that can only be ascertained by experiment. We know of no 

 external appearance that will indicate the special proportionate arrangement of 

 the constituents of plants most favorable for the formation of roots from cuttings. 



As the extension of roots is dependent upon the previous or simultaneous 

 action of foliage, it is found that, in general, the best shoots for propagation 

 are those possessing a considerable portion of the organized matter consequent 

 upon a ripening of wood-growth, but in which the process of vegetation is still 

 in full operation ; in other words, those shoots that have commenced to mature, 

 but still possessed of healthy and active foliage, familiarly termed "half-ripened 

 wood." 



The art of "striking" cuttings mainly consists in guarding against the ex- 

 haustion of the sap of the shoot by evaporation until roots are formed to sup- 

 port it. 



The various expedients resorted to, such as keeping the cuttings in close 

 frames, covering them with bell glasses, shading from sun, &c., have for their 

 object the preservation of the juices of the shoot. 



