THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 49 
Verbenas, it should be understood, are by no means tender in 
constitution, as is proved by the fact that they are capable of re- 
sisting the effects of many degrees of frost, and that in warm, shel- 
tered situations they will sometimes survive the winter without 
protection. Notwithstanding this, they are in the early part of the 
year invariably subjected to a tropical temperature, and the enervat- 
ing influences of a close and moist atmosphere. Cuttings only equal 
to about one-third of the number of plants are struck in the autumn, 
and the remainder are struck in the spring. In the spring propaga- 
tion of these flowers the usual course is to put the stock plants into a 
temperature of 65 degrees to start them in growth, and as soon as 
they begin to grow freely, to remove the tops, and insert them 
thickly in cutting pots, and plunge in a hotbed the temperature of 
which is 80 degrees. Here they remain until rooted, a period of two 
or three weeks, and are then put into single pots, and again kept 
close and warm for a week or teu days, to become established. If the 
stock is at all short, the cuttings remain in the high temperature much 
longer, for the tops are taken off again and again, and converted into 
cuttings. In the result, the whole stocks become so weakened by 
the coddling process, that the stems are about the size of a darning 
needle, and the leaves so thin in texture that a breath of air or a ray 
of sunshine is sufficient to shrivel them up. By careful nursing, 
they can, to a certain extent, be brought partly round again; but, 
from long experience, I am certain they do not acquire the vigour 
common to plants that have not been subjected to so high a tem- 
perature. , : ; 
Keeping them in the pots until the end of May is another 
frequent cause of failure, for when kept in the pots too long, they 
become stunted in growth, and a prey to greenfly and thrips, and 
when infested with these pests they cannot start away freely from 
the first, and if the weather should be hot and dry when planted, 
a portion will dwindle away, and ultimately perish. 
My practice during a long series of years has been to propagate 
early in September a sufficient stock for bedding the following 
season. When struck they are fully exposed until the autumn frosts 
render protection needful. They are then removed to a pit, from . 
which the frost can be excluded, but no more artificial heat is em- 
ployed than is really required for keeping them safe from frost and 
damp. In February they are potted off separately, and a rich com- 
post of loam, leaf-mould, and manure is employed. A frame where 
they can be near the glass and be protected from the frost is selected 
for their quarters, and every opportunity is taken advantage of for 
ventilating the frame, and as soon as they have acquired a sufficient 
degree of hardiness, the lights are during the day drawn off alto- 
gether. Ina very short time they become thoroughly hardy, and in 
the second or third week in April are planted in the beds, for if they 
are properly hardened, the frosts after the middle of April will do 
them no material injury. They soon become established in the beds, 
and the dry weather we often have in May and June has no effect 
whatever upon them. As arule, by the first week in June, the 
beds are covered with healthy leafage and a moderate quantity of 
February, 4 
