Notes and Gleanings. 53 



good kinds being impregnated ; for these, as a rule, come last. Any thought 

 worth propagating should be labelled ; and, if seed be saved, remove the pods 

 as they become brown ; cut the stalks off to within two or three inches of the 

 ground, and stir the soil about them with a fork, but not so deeply as to injure 

 the fibres. This will encourage growth for propagation, which may be effected 

 by eyes or by division ; and the plants obtained in either way will, the following 

 year, show whether the flower is worth adding to the general collection, or does 

 not maintain its character. 



Cuttings may be taken off at almost all seasons. Those put in during the 

 spring afford a late bloom ; and those plants propagated from cuttings in sum- 

 mer and autumn flower early and late in summer. The young shoots, when 

 from two to three inches long, are to be taken off close to the old root ; and, after 

 paring the base of each cutting smooth with a sharp knife, pot them singly in 

 three-inch pots, using a compost of two-thirds sandy fibrous loam and one-third 

 leaf-mould, with a liberal admixture of sharp sand. Pot firmly, give a gentle 

 watering, place tliem in a cold frame, shut it up closely, and shade them from 

 the sun. In the course of a week or ten days, according to the time of year, — a 

 week in summer, ten days in spring and autumn, — a little air may be given, but 

 not much until the cuttings are rooted. Avoid excessive watering; but keep the 

 soil moist : and, when the cuttings have rooted well, admit air freely, and expose 

 them fully when the weather is mild or not excessively wet. The plants should 

 be potted as they require more room, and should be wintered in a cold frame as 

 described for seedlings. 



Cuttings put in from September to April should have the benefit of a bot- 

 tom-heat of about 70°, and should be kept close and shaded. Care should be 

 taken not to over-water ; and, to prevent damp, a little air may be given. The 

 cuttings rooted, they must be well hardened off, and removed to a cold frame. 



Propagation by division is performed in autumn after flowering, — generally 

 in September, or early in October. The root should be dug up, and divided into 

 as many pieces as there are shoots ; and these pieces ought to be potted singly 

 in four-and-a-half-inch pots. Any shoots without roots may be potted in three- 

 inch pots, and treated as cuttings ; they and the divisions being wintered in 

 a cold frame. 



Eyes are the side-shoots taken from the plants close to the roots as soon as 

 they begin to become firm (which will be the case in July, August, or Septem- 

 ber, according to the forwardness of the plant), cut into pieces with an eye to 

 each. The knife should be sharp ; at least the cut must be clean, so as to give 

 an inch or an inch and a half of shoot to each eye. The leaf should be re- 

 moved with exception of the leaf-stalk, and the pieces or eyes should be inserted 

 in sandy soil as for cuttings ; placing them vertically, and covering them with 

 an inch of fine sandy soil. It will answer as well if the eyes are placed hori- 

 zontally. Cover them with a hand-glass after giving them a gentle watering, 

 and shade from bright sun. When struck, as will be known by their growing 

 strongly, pot them singly in three-inch pots, and place them in a cold frame. 



Soil a7id Situation. — T\\Q most suitable soil for hollyhocks is a rich sandy 

 rather than a heavy loam. In the former the plants are more hardy, but do not 



