150 THE amateur's geeenhouse 



freely, provided they are taken when the wood is moderately 

 firm, and the cuttings covered with a bell-glass. It is neces- 

 sary to practise a judicious system of stopping when the plants 

 are young, to ensure the production of bushy well-furnished 

 specimens. They are exceedingly impatient of artificial heat. 



Daphne. — The flowers of the greenhouse Daphnes are 

 valued for bouquets during the winter season, for they are 

 delightfully fragrant. Increasing the stock by cuttings is 

 attended with such uncertainty that they are usually grafted 

 upon D. laureola, which can be raised from seed. The seed is 

 a long time in vegetating, and, considering the trouble attached 

 to the grafting, amateurs will do well to procure healthy plants 

 of a small size from a nursery. An open position out of doors 

 during the summer season will benefit them, and if there is a 

 probability of the flowers being required before the usual time, 

 they may be placed in the early part of the winter in a tem- 

 perature of about 55° ; but, as they flower early in the new 

 year, no forcing whatever is, as a rule, required. 



DiLLWTNiA. — A few of the species belonging to this genus 

 are very interesting and attractive. They require fibrous peat 

 to which a liberal proportion of silver sand has been added. 

 After they have done flowering prune them back, and when 

 they have fairly started into growth again place them in the 

 open air. They must not be exposed to continuous rains, for 

 if the soil remains for any length of time in a saturated state 

 the young roots will perish. 



Deacophtllum. — The pretty white-flowered DracophyUum 

 gracile is as useful for conservatory decoration as it is valuable 

 in competitive groups. It should be potted in peat chopped 

 up rather fine and mixed with a liberal quantity of silver sand. 

 Specimens trained as bushes are more pleasing and effective 

 than those trained to wire trellises. To produce these, stop 

 the young shoots twice during the first two years after they 

 are potted ofi" singly. Afterwards the growth must be trained 

 out nicely with the aid of neat stakes. As the flowers fade 

 prune back the growth of the preceding season, and when the 

 young shoots are an inch or so in length place the plants out 

 of doors. They must not remain out of doors late in the 

 autumn. It is advisable to keep them indoors altogether 



