152 PLANT PROPAGATION 
in August and September. Cats delight to roll in the 
foliage. 
NEPENTHES.—A very high, moist, and close atmo- 
sphere is necessary for the successful cultivation of 
these curious and interesting plants. Cuttings of firm 
shoots are induced to form roots by turning an empty 
flower-pot bottom upwards and inserting the base of the 
shoot through the drainage-hole, so that it may rest on 
a layer of sphagnum moss in a close, moist, hot, shaded 
case. When sufficient roots have been emitted, they are 
transferred to well-drained pots of convenient size in a 
mixture of two parts fibrous brown peat (well broken up 
and with all the dust and earthy matter removed) and 
one part of clean, picked sphagnum moss, kept close and 
shaded until established. Some obtain considerable 
success by inserting the cuttings in the Derbyshire spar 
(used for covering the stages), kept wet in a close, 
moist atmosphere and high temperature. 
With proper convenience and careful treatment, seed- 
lings are easily raised. The male and female flowers, 
being produced on separate individual plants, must be 
fertilised. The resulting or imported seed is sown on 
the surface of pans filled with clean, chopped sphagnum 
moss and fibrous peat and kept constantly moist in a 
close, hot case. The seedlings come up at intervals. 
When large enough to handle, they are lifted carefully 
and placed in tiny pots in similar compost, and are 
grown on with heat, shade, and moisture until sufficiently _ 
developed to be transferred to an ordinary stove or a 
Nepenthes house. The drainage in all cases must be so 
perfect that regular supplies of water may be given and 
run through the compost, almost like passing through 
a sieve, without any fear of stagnation, and the plants 
