<222 ON PROPAGATING EXOTICS. 



take any more leaves off than are requisite ; for the more leaves u 

 cutting has on it, the sooner it will root. The shallower cuttings 

 are put in, so as they are well fastened, the better they will root ; 

 for if planted deep, they are more likely to rot or damp off. The 

 part planted in the sand should have its leaves taken off as close 

 to the stem as possible without injuring it. From half an inch to 

 an inch and a quarter may be considered the medium length to be 

 inserted. Ericas, Epacris, Diosmas, Brunias, and all such fine- 

 leaved delicate kinds, should be planted no deeper than absolutely 

 necessary ; but cuttings of Pittosporum, Pomederris, and such 

 like hardy-leaved woody kinds, may be put in a little deeper. 

 After the cuttings are prepared and well fastened in the pots of 

 sand, give a gentle watering ; and when the moisture has dried off 

 the leaves of the cuttings, place the bell-glass over them, and re- 

 move them to their respective situations — the stove kinds to a 

 moist heat, plunged in a bark or dung bed ; the greenhouse kinds 

 to the front shelves in the greenhouse. The bell-glasses must all 

 be shaded when the sun is powerful, by means of white-brown 

 paper ; and every morning they must be regularly wiped, or the 

 moisture accumulating on the sides of the glass will cause the cut- 

 tings to turn mouldy, and eventually die off, even after they are 

 rooted. Water must only be given when the top sand is become 

 dry, and then a sufficient quantity must be given in a morning, so 

 as to reach the bottom part of the sand. At the end of June the 

 greenhouse kinds must be removed out of the house, and plunged 

 in a shaded dry border till the following September, (when such 

 as remain unstruck, if any, must be taken back to their former 

 residence.) When they are plunged, they must be defended from 

 rains by means of hand-glasses, each covering four or five pots 

 with their bell-glasses. When the cuttings are rooted, the sooner 

 they are potted off the better, in as small pots as they can be safely 

 got into; for if too long, the sand is apt to injure the roots. 

 When they are first potted, they should be kept under a dose glass 

 for a few days, and shaded with a mat till they have taken fresh 

 root, and then hardened to the open air by degrees. If the young 

 plants are drawn up too slender, their tops must be pinched off, to 

 make them grow bushy. Those kinds that require heat must 

 remain plunged in a hotbed till they are struck, and not be put 

 into the open ground, as directed for those that require uo heat. 



