126 WINDOW GARDENING. 



larias, Cytisus, Ericas, Fuschias, Heliotropes, Kalosanthes, Lobelias, Mcsenabryan- 

 themums, Pelargoniunis, Petunias, and Verbenas, succeed best wben taken in a young 

 6tate, at any period between April and September. The Cineraria strikes best from' 

 cuttings of the suckers ; and the Camellia, Myrtle, China and Tea Roses, Sollyas, 

 from cuttings of half- ripened wood, taken off from June to August. The cuttings 

 of the Geraniums, Fuschias, Eoses, Myrtles, and Camellias may be three or four 

 inches long ; of the other plants named, shorter lengths will suffice ; in all cases the 

 shoot should be cut close under a joint with a very sharp knife, and the lowest 

 leaves removed. The object to be kept in view is, to check the evaporation of the 

 juices of the cutting until it has emitted roots; and the removal of a portion of the 

 foliage tends materially to this end, but in all cases the leaves on the upper part 

 of the shoot must be left. Almost all the plants we have named will root readily 

 in sandy loam or very sandy peat ; a soil containing a considerable proportion of 

 sand is indispensable. The pot containing the cuttings should be at least one-half 

 filled with drainage, and, where it can be procured, a thin layer of small charcoal 

 fragments may be superposed on this, before filling in the soil. Cuttings which do 

 not require a glass may be inserted near the side of the pot, but those which are 

 too succulent to bear exposure must, for the convenience of covering them, be 

 placed in the centre. In this case, it will be found an excellent plan to have but a 

 thin layer of soil above the broken crocks and charcoal, so that the bottom of the 

 cutting nearly touches the drainage. 



Another method often pursued is, to invert a small pot inside one several sizes 

 larger, so that the mouth of the smallest just fits, when inverted, the base of the 

 largest. The space between the two pots is partly filled with drainage, and upon 

 this is placed a layer of the soil, the cuttings being inserted round the sloping side 

 of the bottom of the innermost pot. Yv T hen a glass is employed, its interior should 

 be wiped every day, to prevent the cuttings from damping off; an accident which 

 often occurs with those of a succulent nature. 



During the first week or ten days the cuttings, whether covered with a bell glass 

 or not, should be placed if possible on a window with a north aspect, or at any rate 

 be shaded from the sun until a callus is formed at their base ; after which it may be 

 gradually exposed to a stronger light, and as soon as the cuttings appear to have 

 struck, the glass should be slightly raised to admit air, and should be removed at the 

 earliest period, to prevent them from being drawn. 



It is well, however, to bear in mind that many cuttings will frequently elongate 

 upwards before any roots have been formed. Before removing them from the soil, 

 it will therefore be advisable to invert the pot, and remove it from the ball of earth, 

 when, if the cuttings have been arranged round the sides, it will easily be seen 

 which of them have emitted any fibres. When, however, they have been planted in 

 the centre of the pot, a single cutting may be carefully removed as a preliminary step. 



(To be continued.) 



