THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 261 



plenty of time. I insert them in a light soil, under a north-east 

 wall, and having watered, to settle the soil about them, when per- 

 fectly dry, they are covered with a hand-glass. They sometimes 

 require a slight shade, and I do not remove the glass till I see they 

 are establishing themselves, unless any damp off ; in that case they 

 are taken away. 



"Worms sometimes prove injurious both to pipings and to layers. 

 When that happens, a little water, in which hot lime has been 

 slaked, should be poured over their holes. The layers must be 

 constantly watched, and soil added now and then, but it must be 

 with a sparing hand. They may be watered most evenings in hot 

 weather, but it should be with water which has been exposed to the 

 action of the sun during the day ; and but little other attention will 

 be required till they are ready to take off. If seed has been saved 

 it should remain in the pods till next spring ; about the latter end 

 of April it may be rubbed out, and sown in shallow pans, or on a 

 bed, covering it slightly with soil. It may remain there till the 

 plants are about three inches high, when they may be planted out 

 on a moderately rich bed. It is well not to have them too strong the 

 first winter ; but the following spring the surface of the soil may 

 be covered with a rich compost. As the seedlings spindle, the 

 single ones should be removed, to give the others room ; and should 

 the raiser be fortunate enough to have one which strikes his fancy, 

 he may layer it, and adopt the same means and precautions as I 

 have before stated. 



PULTENCEA. 



iOST of the species of this genus are exceedingly hand- 

 some greenhouse shrubs, being of a very compact habit 

 of growth, profuse bloomers, and the flowers, if guarded 

 from damp and bright sunshine, remain long in per- 

 fection in a cool house. Beginners should be careful in 

 procuring young plants from the nursery, to select such as are dwarf 

 and healthy, with short-jointed robust wood ; for they will find, if 

 they procure weakly or sickly plants, that they are rather difficult 

 subjects. 



If the young plants are obtained at once, they should be placed 

 in an airy part of the greenhouse close to the glass, and be very 

 carefully supplied with water, for it is too late in the season to do 

 much in the way of encouraging growth ; but if they are found to 

 be much pot-bound, a smaller shift may be given, which will induce 

 the formation of active roots, and cause them to break strongly in 

 Bpring. 



Shifting, however, should be deferred until spring, unless the 

 plants are in actual want of more pot room ; for, in the case 

 of beginners, there is some risk in repotting such things as are 

 at all delicate just before winter. Tho principal points to be 



September. 



