AND CONSERTATORT. G5 



be fully one inch deep, and those of smaller size in proportion. 

 It is of the utmost importance, however, for the amateur to 

 bear in mind that small seeds of all kinds should be covered 

 with the merest dusting of soil, for many are lost through 

 being sown too deep. It is good practice to lay a square of 

 glass over a seed pan when the seed is sown, to prevent 

 evaporation, because, if the soil is sufficiently moist when the 

 sowing takes place, it will continue so until the seeds germi- 

 nate if covered with glass, and thus the necessity of watering 

 will be obviated. If you cannot cover the pans with glass, 

 sprinkle a little clean moss over, or lay a sheet of paper over, 

 and be sure to remove the moss or paper as soon as the 

 sprouting of the seed is visible. AVhen the little plants have 

 grown sufficiently large to bear separation they must be potted 

 two or three together, or separately in small pots, or they may 

 be pricked out into boxes, with a view to a separate potting at 

 the next stage. 



By far the largest proportion of greenhouse plants are raised 

 from cuttings, and in the case of soft-wooded plants, the 

 process is so simple, sure, and speedy, that there need be but 

 little said about it. As a rule it is a difficult matter to strike 

 cuttings of hard-wooded plants, but the compensation for the 

 difficulty is found in the fact that no one is in want of large 

 quantities of such plants, and as well-made young heaths and 

 such like can be purchased at a very low price, the propagating 

 business need not stand in the way of the formation and 

 good keeping of a pretty collection. The amateur must begin 

 practice with plants of soft texture, such as fuschias, pelar- 

 goniums, and veronicas. Any of the young shoots of these 

 may be made into cuttings at any time of the year. Preference 

 should be given to shoots that are somewhat firm, but still in 

 a growing state. In the case of fuschias they may be broken 

 off at the joint by a slight pressure of the thumb, the shoot 

 having its own " heel," and its removal causing a slight scar 

 on the parent stem. If you cannot do this dexterously cut 

 the shoots with a sharp knife, and in every case let the cuttings 

 be from two to four inches long, and remove from them a few 

 of the lowest leaves, so as to secure a sufficient length of clear 

 stem to insert them firmly in the soil. The more leaves a 

 cutting can carry and keep the better, but there must be no 

 leaves buried in the soil, and any leaves that " flag," or droop 

 from exhaustion, will do more harm than good. Cuttings are 



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