2-34 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



dung, and one-foiirtli good sandy peat soil, well mixed. Put 

 a third of the pot full of drainage and fill with the soiL 

 thrust the eye down in the centre with the wood do-uTiwards, 

 and the bud of course upwards. Let the pots be levelled at 

 top, and they may be set aside, while you prepare, about 

 Christmas, a good hot-bed, and when the heat is pretty even 

 and regular, jDut the whole of the pots in and cover partially, 

 leaving plenty of air. The pots should be sunk about half- 

 way, so that the soil will be warmer than the atmosphere ; 

 and this difference may be kept up by allowing the heat to 

 escape from time to time sufficiently, but not to cool the bed. 

 As the heat of the bed declines, thrust the pots down lower. 

 These eyes will start into growth, when they must be refreshed 

 with moisture at the same temperature as the bed. When 

 these have made a growth of a few inches, turn out one of the 

 pots and see if it is filled with roots ; at which time they 

 must be shifted to pots a size larger, say size thirty-two, and 

 be removed to the stove, where they may be trained up the 

 back wall, or they may be turned out in a south border in 

 June, and there allowed to grow, with some means of support 

 to prevent the wind from damaging them ; and at one year 

 old these A^nes will be strong enough to send out or to plant 

 wherever they are to remain and fruit. Instead of the hot-bed 

 they may be plunged into a tan-pit in the stove, and there 

 made the best of until turning-out time ; but, if quantity of 

 wood be desirable, they ought to be allowed to complete their 

 growth in the stove, and not to be turned out at all. To 

 grow from eyes in the open air, it is the best way to cut the 

 wood close up to the bottom of the eye, and leave three inches 

 of wood above it ; this is thrust into the ground so as to leave 

 an inch above the surface ; but the time to insert these is 

 November. In the spring many if not all will come up and 

 grow into good strength the first year. Many prefer the ^dne 

 raised from eyes, and if this be the case, the largest and most 

 plump buds should be selected on the last year's wood ; and 

 a pretty general notion prevails that the nearer the eye has 

 been taken from the lowest part of the branch, the better will 

 be the plant. There is nothing in experience to justify this, 

 but the shorter the joints in the last year's wood, the better ; 

 therefore, when there is a choice, select a branch of well- 

 ripened short-jointed wood for the purpose, and only use the 

 full sized eyes. The other plants to be raised from eyes are 



