AND CONSEEYATORT. 147 



comprising the comparatively small rigid growers, and re- 

 presented by^. armaf a, and the other the more robust species, 

 slender in growth and having feathery foliage, and represented 

 by A. deaJbcda. Those of the first section may be propagated 

 by means of cuttings, and can be kept in proper shape by 

 pruning. The others are most readily propagated by seed, 

 and must not be pruned so severely, especially after they have 

 attained a large size. They all thrive in a mixture of peat, 

 loam, and leaf-mould, or they may be grown in loam and leaf- 

 mould alone. 



The points of half-ripened shoots make the best cuttings, 

 and therefore the summer season will be found the most suit- 

 able for increasing the stock of the small growing kinds. 

 The spring is the proper time for sowing the seed, which 

 should be soaked in warm water some time previously. 

 Whether raised from cuttings or seeds, the young plants will 

 require stopping once or twice after they are established in 

 the small pots in which they are put when potted off singly, to 

 induce them to produce an abundance of side shoots, and thus 

 form a good foundation for bushy specimens. Acacias of all 

 kinds require liberal supplies of water during the spring and 

 summer, and at no season of the year must they suffer from 

 an insufficiency of moisture at the roots. Should any of the 

 specimens become infested with white scale, the best course 

 will be to destroy them and commence with young plants from 

 a clean stock, for it is impossible to thoroughly eradicate the 

 pest when it has once become established. The time to prune 

 is just previous to their commencing to make new growth. 

 All the species may be grown in pots or be planted out in the 

 conservatory border. Some of the robust growers, especially 

 A. Biceana and A. dealbata, are very valuable for training 

 over pillars and girders in large conservatories. 



Adenandea. — A. fragans is a good plant. It has a natu- 

 rally bushy habit, and the only special attention required is to 

 tie out the shoots with the aid of neat stakes. The flowers are 

 produced at the tips of last year's shoots. Peat and silver 

 sand form the proper compost ; and in shifting the plants into 

 large pots it is of the highest importance to press the soil very 

 firm. Careful watering is very essential at all seasons. 



Aphelesis. — These require careful attention at all times. 



