Notes and Gleanings. 165 



The Gladiolus ramosus. Hfessrs. Editors, — I must beg leave to diffei 

 with your correspondent "E. S. R., jun." On page 78 of the August number, he 

 says, " The finer kinds, such as the ramosus and cardinalis hybrids, were not 

 adapted for open-air culture" (with this I agree), "and, in the greenhouse, bloomed 

 at a season when flowers were not wanted." Now, here he is mistaken ; as I find 

 the i-amos7is varieties, one of my most useful winter-blooming plants, bloomin^i jiisl 

 w'len they are most iva7ited, — viz., from December to February, — their beautiful 

 tints of pink and crimson contrasting finely with the spotless white of the Camel- 

 lia Japonica alba. My method of blooming them is as follows : Select strong 

 bult)s, and pot them about the first of June in four-inch pots ; set out of doors, 

 and water moderately until they commence growing. As soon as they have 

 rooted through the pots, shift into six-inch pots, keeping the bulbs about an 

 inch below the surface of the soil. They are allowed to remain out of doors 

 until the approach of cold weather, when they are removed into the greenhouse, 

 where, with a moderate heat, they will commence flowering in December, and 

 will all be wanted about Christmas and New Year's. In your correspondent's list 

 of the Gandavensis section, he has omitted some of the finest varieties now 

 cultivated. The Meyerbeer, La Poussin, Maria Dumortier, Comte de Morney, 

 Achille, John Waterer, Raphael, Ceres, are too distinct and beautiful to omit in 

 any collection. I have them now (Aug. 10) in full bloom. H. A. D. 



Philadelphia, August, i86S. 



Stocks FROM CuTTiXGS. — It is a matter of vexatious disappointment to 

 lovers of double stocks to grow seedlings, ar>d to find at their blooming season 

 that a number of them are single. The plan I adopt for perpetuating double- 

 flowering plants amply repays the slight extra trouble which it entails. When 

 the varieties desired to be increased are in full bloom, take off the lateral shoots 

 beneath the existing corymb (before they show flower) at the lowermost joint, 

 detach the two bottom leaves with a sharp knife, and prepare the cutting in pre- 

 cisely the manner in which those of other soft-wooded plants are treated ; viz., 

 by severing it horizontally at the base of the joint. Insert in pots prepared with 

 one-half broken potsherds, and filled up with a rich, light compost ; allowing a 

 layer of silver sand to be at the top, in order to prevent damping off. Place 

 them in a cold frame, and shade them until roots have pushed out freely. In 

 potting off, use pots in proportion to the size of the plants. In this way, plants 

 are produced more symmetrical in shape, and they bloom more profusely, than 

 those generally raised from seed. 



Dr. Hooker has pointed out, in a recent communication to the Linnasan So- 

 ciety, that the true Fuchsia coccinea is a totally different species from that which 

 is so extensively cultivated in all regions of the globe under that name, but 

 which is the F. inagcllanica of Lamarck, a species common in Chili and Fuegia. 

 F. coccinea was introduced in lySo : it was published in " The Hortus Kewensis," 

 and is now only known from living specimens in the Oxford Botanic Garden, 

 and from dried ones taken from the Kew plant in the Banksian and Smithian 

 Herbaria. 



