THE MAGNOLIA FAMILY. 389 



degree successful, and the importance of using highly-developed 

 cultivated sorts to improve the inferior forms used by native 

 cultivators was fully confirmed. An elaborate trial of these is 

 now being made by Mr Empson of Williston (South Carolina), 

 with every prospect of success." It is very interesting to 

 know that Cotton-plants may be grafted readily when in a very 

 young state; and in the 'Gardeners' Chronicle,' 1871, p. 1260, 

 is a figure of a grafted seedling, the scion being united to the 

 stock just below its (the scion's) seed-leaves. 



Hibiscus. A group of shrubby garden plants, of which H. 

 syriacus (Althcea frutex), H. sinensis, and the numerous semi- 

 nal forms of each type, may be cited as examples. They are 

 readily propagated by seeds, which are produced only as a rule 

 after careful artificial fertilisation, and these should be sown 

 at once in light rich sandy compost, and placed in a gentle 

 bottom-heat of 65 to 70. Cuttings of the young wood root 

 freely ; or the rare and choice varieties may be splice or cleft 

 grafted on the common kinds. It would be interesting to 

 know whether the beautiful single and double forms of H. 

 sinensis would succeed grafted on pieces of the root, or on 

 seedlings of the hardy H. syriacus. 



Hibiscus syriacus is a showy rosy-flowered shrub from Syria, 

 and of this there are numerous white, red, crimson-striped, and 

 double varieties in our gardens. It is increased by layers, 

 and occasionally by seeds, which are sparingly produced. 

 Miller remarks that the scarce varieties may be propagated by 

 grafting them on each other, or on common sorts, which is the 

 usual method of propagating the kinds with striped leaves 

 (see ' Bot. Mag.,' t. 83). 



M. Gaudais of Nice raised a hybrid some years ago between 

 Hibiscus moscheutos which has persistent foliage and a dry 

 fruit and Achania malvaviscus which has deciduous foliage 

 and a berry-like fruit. The last-named was the seed-parent, 

 and the hybrid is said to have resembled it in bearing decidu- 

 ous leaves and habit, while the flower was double. 



THE MAGNOLIA FAMILY (Magnotiacece).. 



A very ornamental family of evergreen and deciduous trees 

 or shrubs, bearing conspicuous, and in many cases fragrant 

 flowers, their foliage being also generally noble in form and 

 large in size. The species are natives of North America, 

 China, Japan, and Northern India, and belong to Liriodendron 

 or Magnolia. 



