IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



made quite firm round the edge of the pot by pressing the 

 soil with thei thumb in the middle, so as to make sure that 

 the "heel" is firmly held against the pot. The soil should 

 be concave in the centre of the pot, to avoid too much 

 moisture around the stems of the cuttings. These must 

 never be allowed to droop, nor yet should they be deluged 

 with water when already moist. The best place for ordinary 

 cuttings is a cutting-box i.e., an ordinary deal box, with 

 2 inches of moist, fine ashes at the bottom of it and a piece 

 or two of glass to cover it, for the conditions under which 

 slips do best are that they should stand in an atmosphere 

 moist enough to support their foliage whilst they make a 

 push for life by throwing out roots at the base. Some slips, 

 however (these being usually better than cuttings proper), 

 need more heat than others during this process ; but fairly 

 hardy or half-hardy plants may be induced to take root in 

 May and June in a greenhouse, or even in a south window, 

 where the sunshine, striking on the side of the box, will 

 warm the interior sufficiently. No sort of debris must be 

 allowed to remain in the cutting-box, as this is sure to be 

 seized upon by mildew ; and air should be given, even at 

 the first, at the corners of the box, increasing the amount 

 as the slips progress, until they can stand in the free air 

 with impunity, having formed their roots, after which the 

 young plants should be potted up separately, returning 

 them to the shelter of the cutting-box for a few days until 

 they have recovered the shock. In this way the large- 

 flowered clematises, honeysuckles, deutzias, libonias, genistas, 

 carnations, myrtles, and many other ordinary things can 

 be propagated in spring (even slips of roses which have 

 been forced for early work) which will grow quickly into 

 flowering plants. But there are some succulent things, such 

 as cacti, kalanchoes, begonias of the tuberous varieties, 

 crassulas, &c., which do best without a box, striking root in 

 pots on the shady shelf of a greenhouse ; for they, as well 

 as zonal pelargoniums, are well supplied with a store of 

 moisture in their tissues, and therefore require nothing more 

 to support their foliage whilst without roots. These require 



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