FUCHSIA AND EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY. 413 



expected. About twenty-two years ago, Mr Storey gave us the 

 first of those with white corollas, which included Queen Vic- 

 toria, Mrs Storey, and Lady of the Lake, all of which have 

 now been surpassed ; and about sixteen years ago Mr Banks 

 gave us a decided new colour in Venus de Medici. I should 

 like to see something more done with the hardy sorts, such as 

 Riccartonii, cocdnea, and gracilis. Mr Bland has been successful 

 in 'raising several really good hardy hybrids, and, for the sake of 

 those who admire Fuchsias and have no place in which to grow 

 the tender sorts, I would like to hear of more making their 

 appearance. There are also the winter-flowering species, which 

 of themselves are capable of affording plenty of work during 

 the next ten or fifteen years, for those who are prepared to 

 take them in hand with a determination to do them justice. 

 There is, for example, serratifolia, and the well-known hy- 

 brid Dominiana, both of which are capable of immense im- 

 provement ; and, in addition, there is the robust-growing ful- 

 gens, which has flowers of immense size and of a very bright 

 colour." 



Since the above was written, Mr E. J. Lowe has crossed 

 some of the best modern varieties with F. fu/gens, and some 

 very distinct seedlings are the result (see 'Gard. Chron.,' 1875, 



P- 655)- 



There are two beautiful old species apparently lost to our 

 gardens. I allude to F. Lycioides, a dwarf, profuse-blooming, 

 crimson-purple species (see ' Bot. Mag.,' t. 1024), and F. 

 arborescens, which bears large erect panicles of rosy flowers (see 

 ' Bot. Mag.,' t. 2620). 



It should be generally known that Fuchsias may be grafted 

 as readily as Camellias, or even more so, since stocks are to be 

 raised in a week or ten days. Grow the stocks in heat, and 

 take the apex of a young shoot of any desirable variety as a 

 scion. Splice or whip grafting are the best methods ; and if the 

 operation is performed in a close case, not one in twenty will 

 fail if young wood in an almost herbaceous state be operated 

 on. I have grafted seedlings when only an inch or two in 

 height on cuttings as stocks plunged in a close case, and so 

 treated seedlings flower a ^nonth or two earlier than when left 

 on their own roots. If the leaves of the graft are large, clip 

 them through the centre. F. procumbens, F. microphylla, and 

 other delicate or slender kinds, may be worked on strong-root- 

 ing cuttings, or several varieties may be worked on the same 

 stock. A correspondent of the ' Gardeners' Chronicle ' men- 

 tions that he grafted Fuchsias as long ago as 1844. 



