ON THE CULTURE OF CMANTHUS I'UNICEUS. 131 



When grown as a standard, it far surpasses in beauty and elegance 

 any plant I have seen of its kind : I shall mention a few words re- 

 garding its culture as a standard. Select cuttings from a plant about 

 the beginning of May or June ; the cuttings should not exceed four 

 inches in length, and taken from the same year's growth ; recollect 

 that the extremity or point of the cuttings must not be pinched off. 

 After making the cuttings, allow them to remain for a day or two 

 before potting, to dry some of the superabundant moisture from them, 

 which is an advantage gained by the cuttings rooting two days sooner. 

 A 32-sized pot should be filled with white sand, and the cuttings in- 

 serted therein to the depth of two or more inches ; they will strike 

 readily in a heat of 70 or 75 degrees ; if they are covered with a 

 bell-glass the strike will be more successful. After struck they should 

 be potted off separately, in thumbs or small sixties, amongst a com- 

 post of sand, leaf, loam, with a little well decomposed cow-dung all 

 well incorporated together ; when potted they should be placed in a 

 bottom heat till they have matured roots enough to support them- 

 selves. Then they should be removed to a more airy situation, either 

 to a greenhouse or conservatory, and great care and attention must 

 be paid to the re-potting and watering, or without the plants will 

 soon form a sickly, stinted appearance. For to make good standards 

 all side-shoots must be pinched off as soon as they appear, training 

 the plant up with a clear stem to the necessary height required ; then, 

 after they have attained the required height, the tops should be 

 pinched off, and that causes them to throw out laterals, and these 

 laterals again stopped makes them still to throw out the more, till at 

 last the plants attain a most luxuriant head, richly decorated with 

 thick hut dense pale green foliage. When treated after the above 

 method that I have laid down, then planted out in a conservatory 

 amongst good rich mould, one-half fresh loam, one-quarter leaf 

 mould, and one-quarter decomposed cow-dung, along with a little 

 vegetable mould and sand ; all these to be well incorporated together, 

 and a pit made for the reception of the plants, three feet square by 

 two and a half deep, filling it up with the above composts, then insert 

 the plants putting it about an inch deeper than it was in the pot ; 

 then there should be a Btake of durable wood procured to fasten it to . 

 When planted out it grows more luxuriant than in pots, and has 

 always a more healthy appearance. When in flower, what can surpass 



