506 GENERAL REVIEW. 



shrubby species root tolerably well in a close case, and layers 

 are also successful. 



Spircea (Exocordd) grandiflora is a handsome shrubby species, 

 rather difficult to propagate even from herbaceous cuttings. 

 The readiest way to multiply this species is to graft cuttings of 

 the partially-hardened wood on thick pieces of its own roots, just 

 as is commonly done in the case of Wisterias, Tecomas, Petraea, 

 Ipomaeas, Dammaras, Keteleeria Fortunei, and many other 

 rare and beautiful shrubs or trees from which fertile seeds are 

 not procurable for the time being. Grafting is best performed 

 in a close frame or case in a genial temperature of about 60. 

 If this method is adopted we may soon hope to see this beauti- 

 ful plant, and many other of the shrubby Spiraeas, more plenti- 

 ful in our gardens. 



Many hybrid varieties of Spiraea have been raised by Mr 

 Willison of Whitby, S. palmata being used as the seed-bearing 

 plant, crossed with S. japonica. Most of these hybrid plants 

 have pinnate leaves, and white, pink, flesh-coloured, or rosy- 

 tinted flowers. 



THE CLEMATIS, PEONY, AND ANEMONE FAMILY 

 (RanunculacecB). 



A well-known and widely-distributed natural order of plants, 

 found in most temperate countries, and represented in our 

 gardens by many beautiful species and varieties of Anemone, 

 Clematis, Ranunculus, Hepatica, Trollius, Hellebore, Aquilegia, 

 Delphinium, and Peony; and in our fields and ditches by 

 "Buttercups" or wild species of Ranunculus. The flowers 

 generally in this family resemble the flowers of some species of 

 Rosaceae in form, and in having numerous stamens and clustered 

 fruits, something like those of Blackberries ere they become 

 ripe and succulent. The number of the carpels varies consider- 

 ably, from one to three as in the Peony, to twenty or thirty as 

 in the case of Ranunculus. All the species are easily fertilised 

 artificially, although, from the excessive number of stamens, 

 some little care and skill must be exercised in emasculating 

 the female or seed-bearing flower. The artificial improvements 

 made in this order are numerous beautiful forms of Clematis, 

 Peony, Delphinium, Anemone, Hellebore, Ranunculus, and 

 Hepatica but a vast field is still open to the intelligent hybrid- 

 iser, who may, by blending the forms already accidentally, 

 culturally, or designedly obtained, with pure and distinct species 

 of their respective or other closely-related genera, fix new and 



