NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. l8l 



flower before the training process is over ; in fact, it will 

 simply take twice as long to arrive at anything like a 

 standard." 



Striking Rose Cuttings. An important element of 

 success in striking rose cuttings in Summer is keeping them 

 perfectly fresh i.e., they must be just as fresh when placed 

 in the soil as when cut from the trees ; in fact, the work 

 cannot be done too quickly. If once the cuttings shrivel 

 and they shrivel rapidly few will grow ; but if quite fresh, 

 well selected, and rightly inserted, few will fail. This 

 essential of perfect freshness can be maintained when the 

 number of cuttings is limited ; but cannot, at any rate with- 

 out some trouble and difficulty, when they amount to 

 thousands, and those who have to be entrusted with the 

 work cannot be depended on for exercising the care that is 

 really requisite when they cannot see the necessity for it. 



The Time to Prune. Opinions differ as to the best 

 time to prune trees. There is really no one best time for 

 all purposes. If more wood is wished, prune when the tree 

 is bare of leaves and before the sap starts. If the tree is 

 making too much wood and fruitage is desired, prune while 

 in full leaf. This checks growth and induces the formation 

 of fruit buds. But it is always good policy to keep a close 

 watch on trees and remove growth that will be in the way as 

 soon as it starts. It has been said that the best implement 

 for pruning was the thumb and finger, pinching off super- 

 fluous growth before it is large enough to require the knife. 



Night Flowering Cacti. These peculiar and lovely 

 floral wonders are rarely met with outside botanical gardens; 

 and yet there is no reason why they should not occupy a 

 place in every glass house where heat is used. They require 

 a dry atmosphere, so that they are not suited to orchid houses. 

 They need little attention. The blooms commence to 

 unfold their beauty at sunset, and are fully open by 8 or 

 9 p.m., commencing to fade away by sunrise. The finest 

 varieties of these nocturnal beauties are Cereus Grandiflorus, 

 Cereus Nycticalus, and Cereus McDonaldia, all of which 

 have climbing or creeping stems. The two former bear 

 blooms of ivory whiteness quite ten inches across and 

 deliciously fragrant. The blooms of the latter are tinged 

 with orange red. They are as easy of cultivation as other 

 plants of the same tribe usually are. 



