PROPAGATION OF THE CALAMPELUS SCABER. 43 



have when entirely deprived of all the organs of generation ? None 

 whatever. To explain this phenomenon, we must make practice agree 

 with theory. Every gardener who sows seed, wishes to obtain plants 

 with double flowers, so as to obtain blossoms which produce the greatest 

 effect. Every double plant is a monstrous vegetable. To produce 

 this anomaly, we must attack the principle of its creation, that is to 

 say the seed. This being granted, let us examine in what way these 

 seeds ought to be treated. If, after having gathered the seeds of Mal- 

 comia annua, or Ten-weeks Stock, we sow them immediately afterwards, 

 the greatest number of the seedlings will produce single flowers, whilst, 

 on the contrary, if we preserve these same seeds for three or four years, 

 and then sow them, we shall find double flowers upon nearly all the 

 plants. To explain this phenomenon, we say, that in keeping a seed for 

 several years, we fatigue it and weaken it. Then, when we place it in a 

 suitable soil, we change its natural state, and from a wild plant make it 

 a cultivated one. What proves our position is, that plants, in a wild 

 state, shedding tlieir seeds naturally, and sowing them as soon as they 

 fall to the ground, yet in a long succession of time scarcely ever produce 

 plants with double flowers. We think then, after what we have said, 

 that whenever a gardener wishes to obtain double flowers, he ought not 

 to sow the seeds till after having kept them for as long a time as 

 possible. This practice ought to be observed with all plants that we 

 wish should produce double flowers, for all varieties of the Brompton 

 Stocks, Pinks, &c. As to Brompton Stocks, Ten-week Stocks, and 

 others of the same kind, there is no doubt that to flower them well they 

 should be sown in autumn in well-worked soil, taken up when the cold 

 weather comes, and kept under a frame during the winter. In the 

 spring they may be planted out again, when they will flower magnifi- 

 cently, and yield an abundant harvest of seeds. If you have not a 

 frame at your disposal, you may obtain the same result, by sowing the 

 seeds at the end of February, under a south wall, for example. The 

 principles that we admitted above are just as applicable to Melons and 

 all plants of that family. We admit, like many other observers, that 

 Melon plants obtained from seeds the preceding year ought to produce, 

 and do produce, really very vigorous shoots, with much foliage ; but 

 very few fruitful flowers appear on such plants, whilst, on the other 

 hand, wlien we sow old seeds, we obtain an abundance of very large 

 fruit. In fact, in all varieties of the Melon the seeds should always be 

 kept from tliree to eight years before being sown, if we would obtain 

 fine fruit, and plenty of it. 



PROPAGATION OF THE CALAMPELUS SCABER 



(ECKEMOCARPUS). 

 BY LUCY. 



In the montli of January, place an old plant in a vinery or hot bed, so 

 as to get it to break ; when the shoots are about three inches long take 

 them off with a sharp knife, being careful to take a small piece of the 

 old bark witli the cuttings, and plant them in light vegetable mould 



