ON THE HEARTSEASE. 221 



thoroughly than any other method. Then make a bed of not less 

 than three inches deep, well pressed down with the hand or spade, 

 and leave a margin of two inches beyond the space which the 

 cuttings are to occupy. The earth should be watered with a fine 

 rosed watering pot a few hours before it is planted, in order that 

 the.cuttings may be fixed more firmly in the ground. The per- 

 son of course must be prepared with some number-sticks, about 

 three inches long and not more than half an inch wide, to mark 

 every sort as it is put in. All may begin numbering from either 

 side, provided he always keep to the same way ; but it is usual to 

 commence counting from the left corner of the glass, to put the 

 stick down first, and then the cuttings in succession behind it, till 

 the next stick marks the commencement of a fresh variety. Leave 

 about half an inch between the rows, and an inch between the 

 cuttings in each row. The cuttings themselves should be about 

 two inches long, taken off just below a joint, and then should be 

 inserted about an inch deep, taking special care not to make the 

 hole deeper than required, or else to fill it well in afterwards, that 

 the bottom of the cutting may come immediately in contact with 

 the soil, instead of being suspended in the air with a hole full of 

 stagnant water below it. Press the soil gently but firmly round 

 the cuttings, and sprinkle them lightly over with water. Then 

 put the glass on, and when the sun shines powerfully let them be 

 shaded with a mat till its strength is gone by. They will not re- 

 quire much water, the shoots being of a moist substance them- 

 selves ; and if they are much wetted, or deprived entirely of the 

 sun, they will be in danger of suffering from damp. After they 

 have been in about a fortnight, the glass might be occasionally 

 removed at night for the sake of catching the refreshing dews, and 

 replaced in the morning. When it is perceived that they are 

 beginning to grow, and the tops have extended themselves, pinch 

 off the extreme points of them, and they will make snug bushy 

 plants. Even if they have not rooted, which is sometimes the 

 case after they begin to grow, this practice of pinching off the top 

 will help to check the rising of the sap, and cause the roots to 

 protrude earlier than they would otherwise have done. Those 

 who have no hand glasses, or who have more cuttings to strike 

 than their glasses will contain, must prepare a shady border in the 

 manner already drescribed, and cover it with a mat, which may 

 be removed at night for the advantage of the dews, but the shade 

 must be renewed by nine or ten o'clock in the morning, or all the 

 previous labour will be thrown away. 



