356 FLORA DOMESTICA. 



shade them till they have taken good root, and to water 

 them as when first planted. 



The roots so cut down will send out more stalks than 

 before, and these may be cut down and treated in the same 

 manner ; so that, if the roots are sound, two or three crops 

 of cuttings may be taken from them, and there may always 

 be a good supply of these flowers. 



They blow in June ; and, after the flowers have de- 

 cayed, young plants may be raised from the stalks as before 

 directed ; but not so strong as from the fresh roots, nor 

 are they always sure to grow. 



Their colours are purple or white; single and double 

 of each : they must not be over-liberally watered, nor 

 planted in a very rich soil, or they will be liable to rot. In 

 dry, hot weather, when they are in flower, they may be 

 watered every evening, but it must be very sparingly. 



This beautiful plant is rather scarce in this country, as 

 the cuttings treated in the ordinary way do not succeed 

 well ; but the following method will be found a never-failing 

 method of propagating it. After the flower has begun to 

 fade, cut down the stalks and divide them into cuttings, 

 strip off the leaves and smooth the ends, then make three 

 slits, with a knife, in the rind lengthways, so as to raise 

 it for about half an inch in length. By this means, when 

 the cutting is inserted into the ground, the loose rind curls 

 up, and thus a greater tendency to throw out roots is pro- 

 duced, so that not one in twenty will fail. The same method 

 is equally efficacious in cuttings of stock-gilliflowers and 

 double wall-flowers. 



