HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS. 383 



banked up level with the sash. Give abundance of ventilation in favor- 

 able weather and cover the sash when there is danger to the plants from 

 frost. 



Propagating for General Crop The ideal months for this operation 

 are April and May, as then the cuttings are in good condition and the 

 temperature is not too high to make the operation a difficult one. For 

 cutting material the moderately thick shoots should be chosen, avoid- 

 ing those which are very succulent, or those which are weak and show 

 long spaces between the leaf joints. The short, stocky, soft growths are 

 best, and should be preferred to all others. The early-flowered kinds 

 should be given attention first. Put the cuttings in the sand bed, and 

 during the rooting process a high temperature with a stagnant atmos- 

 phere should be avoided. When the roots are from one-half to three- 

 quarters of an inch long the cuttings should be potted, as their roots 

 weaken by a longer stay in the sand. Put in thumb pots, using soil a 

 little lighter than the regular potting compost and obtained by adding 

 a small quantity of leaf soil. In this stage keep them in the same tem- 

 perature as that in which they were rooted until their roots show 

 through the ball of soil. They should then be removed to a cold frame, 

 standing them on a bottom of sifted ashes. As soon as the plants show 

 signs of needing a shift they should be put in 3-inch pots, and as a pre- 

 caution against hardening of the stems they should be plunged in the 

 ashes, and during excessively warm weather some leaf soil should be 

 thrown over the tops of the pots to help in keeping the roots cool. 

 Planting may be proceeded with by the beginning of June for the early 

 flowering varieties, taking care that the plants are well watered before 

 being knocked out of their pots. 



Late Flowering Plants To extend the season of some of the latest 

 flowering varieties till Christmas the cuttings should be taken late, and 

 as soon as rooted keep them in a growing condition to prevent the 

 wood getting hard. Growing points of previously potted cuttings make 

 good wood, if they can be kept from wilting during the rooting process; 

 but this operation is somewhat difficult after the middle of July. Toe 

 much shade will cause damping and too little favors wilting, so close 

 observation will be necessary to hit the exact conditions. The single- 

 leaf cuttings are easiest to root at this season. If the sand be rough 

 grained and free from foreign material, have the leaf with the under sur- 

 face lying flat on the sand. Keep the plants shaded for some time after 

 they are planted out. Very short stems are only avoided by supplying 

 conditions favorable to growth. 



Selecting the Bud There are two kinds of buds, known as "crown" 

 and "terminal." Thecrowubud appears directly on the end of the shoot, 

 and is naturally the first seen. In some varieties, particularly the early 

 ones, this is the proper bud to select to develop into a flower, but in 

 some well-known kinds growers do not agree as to which is the proper 

 bud to select. There is no doubt, however, that with some soils, also 

 under certain cultural methods, the proper bud to " take" under those 

 conditions would be the wrong one under others. The terminal bud 

 shoots are usually three in number and develop from the axils of the 



