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240 



FUC 



the stalk, is the first to ripen. This is 

 most perceptible in pears, especially in 

 the chaumontelle. That end therefore 

 should be slightly imbedded in the 

 sand; and thus excluding it from the 

 light, checks its progress in ripening." 

 — Principles of Gardening. 



FUCHSIA. Twenty species, besides 

 many varieties. Green-house evergreen 

 shrubs. Seed and cuttings. Light rich 

 loam and peat. 



Varieties for open borders. — F. Ric- 

 cartonia; globosa; gracilis; Thomsonii; 

 Clintonia; conica ; reflexa; erecta ; and 

 virgata. 



For Pot-culture. — Brockmannii ; Exo- 

 niensis ; Colossus ; Attractor ; Enchan- 

 tress; Eppsii; Stanwelliana ; Splendida; 

 Defiance ; Laneii ; Toddiana ; Cham- 

 pion ; Victory; Majestica; Paragon; 

 Splendens; Fulgens; Robusta ; Youel- 

 lii ; Chandlerii ; Venus Victrix ; Money- 

 pennii ; Standishii; Dalstonii ; Curtisii ; 

 Eclipse; Rosa Alba; and Spectabilis. 

 There are about eighty other named 

 varieties of diii'ering degrees of merit. 



Soil. — The best is formed of equal 

 parts rotted turf, sandy loam, and peat. 



Propagation by seed. — Sow directly 

 it is ripe. Bruise the berries, wash 

 away their pulp, mix the seed with 

 sand, sow thinly in pans of the soil just 

 described, and place in the green-house. 

 Prick into thimbles when the seedlings 

 are large enough for handling; place 

 under a hand-glass, in a stove or hot- 

 bed, for a few days, and then remove 

 into a green-house. Shift into larger 

 pots as the roots fill those in which they 

 are growing. 



By cuttirigs. — No plant is more easily 

 propagated by cuttings at any season o 



the same stock. This is very desirable 

 where room has to be husbanded. Cut 

 away to the length of one and a half 

 inch, half the thickness of the two shoots 

 to be united, bind them together; sever 

 through the scion three-fourths of its 

 thickness, just below the junction, keep 

 in a warm moist atmosphere, and in 

 three or four days the junction will be 

 complete. F. fulgens, F. Cormackii 

 and other strong growing varieties are 

 the best stocks." — Gard. Chron. 



To make specimen Fuchsias. — "In 

 order to have specimen plants of Fuch- 

 sias," says Mr. G. Watson, " put in 

 cuttings in the beginning of August ; 

 planting them round the rims of five 

 inch pots filled with light sandy soil 

 and well drained ; then place in a cu- 

 cumber-frame till sufficiently rooted, 

 and afterwards remove to a cool and 

 airy part of the green-house, and let 

 them remain till February. In that 

 month, pot off into small sixties, and 

 when well rooted in these pots, two or 

 more healthy and well-shaped plants of 

 each variety put into larger pots accord- 

 ing to their size. While young, care 

 must be taken that the earth, in which 

 they are growing, does not become 

 soured by over watering, or the plants 

 will soon become sickly. When they 

 have filled these pots with roots, the 

 plants must be removed into larger 

 pots and carefully tied up to sticks in 

 order to keep the leading shoots up- 

 right, as several of the varieties have a 

 tendency to grow downward, and it is 

 only with constant care that these va- 

 rieties are kept vigorous. 



" About the second week in June, 

 shift for the last time into pots suffi- 



the year than the Fuchsia, but the best \ ciently large to bloom them in ; in pot- 



season is from the end of May to the 

 end of July. Have the cuttings about 

 three inches long; strip the leaves off 

 the lower half of their lengths, and plant 

 in pots, having the surface of the com- 

 post in them to the depth of an inch 

 covered with sand. Plant in this the 

 cuttings, so thattheir ends just touch the 

 compost. Moisten the sand, place the 

 pots in a green-house under the cover 

 of hand-glasses. When rooted, pot 

 singly in sixties. 



By grafting. — "The early part of 



ting particular attention must be paid 

 to the drainage, so that the superabund- 

 ant water may be easily passed off. 



" Plants treated in this manner will 

 begin to bloom profusely at the latter 

 end of July, and continue flowering till 

 the end of Septjjmber ; during this pe- 

 riod the pots should be placed in pans, 

 so that the plant may be well supplied 

 with water, and yet not constantly 

 soaked in it. 



" Plants thus treated, with their 

 shoots pruned to three or four buds, 



May is suitable for grafting /Mc/isias, or I form beautiful objects for turning out 

 rather for inarching them, as this is de- I into the flower garden the following 

 cidedly the most successful mode of summer; but if very large specimens 

 combining more than one variety upon , are required, their pot room must be 



