HEA 



[ 460 ] 



HEA 



The temperature should always be 

 regulated, in our hothouses, with a due 

 regard to the light. At night it should 

 be so low as to put the circulation of 

 the sap into a comparative state of 

 rest ; and in dull days the temperature 

 should be full 10 lower than in those 

 of bright sunshine. 



HEATHS. See Eri'ca. 



Propagation : By Cuttings. In order 

 to be successful in striking the hard- 

 wooded heaths, it is necessary to put a 

 plant of each kind in gentle heat, to 

 cause them to push forth young shoots. 

 Whilst they are growing, the materials 

 for the operation of propagation should 

 be prepared ; these are the requisite 

 number of clear hell-glasses. It will 

 be advantageous to have them of dif- 

 ferent sizes ; the smallest 3^ inches, 

 and the largest 6 inches diameter, with 

 two sizes between. Also prepare the 

 drainage, by breaking a quantity of pot- 

 sherds ; these should be in three sizes, 

 the largest about an inch across, the 

 next inch, and the smallest the size 

 of marrow-fat peas, with the dust sifted 

 out from amongst them. Next, have 

 the soil ready. The best is to be 

 had from some dry moorland where 

 the heather grows wild. Break the 

 turves into a fine state, and pass it 

 through a fine sieve, reserving the 

 rougher pieces to cover the drainage 

 with. The next thing to look after 

 are the pots. If new, they must be 

 placed in a tub of water for a few hours : 

 if old, they must be well scoured and 

 made perfectly clean. Lastly, procure 

 a sufficient quantity of pure silver sand, 

 a pair of propagating scissors, and a 

 small ivory-handled knife of the very 

 best material. All these being in readi- 

 ness, see that the cuttings are in fit 

 state to take off the plants. If they 

 have made fresh shoots an inch long, 

 they are ready for use. Then take a 

 small clean pot, invert it, and place it 

 over the hole at the bottom of the pot 

 for the cuttings, then fill in round a 

 few of the largest potsherds, and cover 

 them with some of the second size, 

 and then, lastly, with a considerable 

 quantity of the smallest size, cover 

 these with a layer of the rough siftings. 

 The whole of these should fill the pot 



to within two and a half inches of the 

 rim of the pot. Upon that place an 

 inch and a half of the heath mould, 

 with a large admixture of the silver 

 sand, level this last layer with a circular 

 piece of wood with a nail driven into 

 the centre to form a handle. Finish 

 with a layer of the pure white sand 

 quite level with the rim of the pot. 

 Give a good watering with a fine rose 

 pot, to settle the same. Then take 

 off the cuttings with the scissors, and 

 dress them with the knife ; cut the 

 bottom of the cutting clean off with a 

 level cut, just at the part between the 

 new and the old wood ; then cut off 

 the leaves close to the stem, without 

 wounding its bark, about two-thirds of 

 its length from the bottom. As each 

 cutting is made, place it under the 

 bell-glass upon the sand, till a suffi- 

 cient number are made to fill the pot. 

 Make a mark in the sand to show the 

 size of the glass, and then proceed to 

 put in the cuttings in regular rows 

 across the pot, keeping the leaves just 

 clear out of the sand. When they are 

 all planted, give another gentle water- 

 ing to settle the sand firm ; allow 

 them to dry partially before the glass 

 is put on. Then place them in a 

 house where they can be shaded from 

 the sun, and keep up a gentle heat of 

 55, as near as possible. Wipe the 

 glasses dry every morning, and as soon 

 as the cuttings are rooted, remove them 

 into a cooler house, and give a little air 

 by placing three short pieces of wood, 

 a quarter of an inch thick and two 

 inches long, so as to form a triangle, 

 and let the bell-glass rest upon them. 

 In this house it will still be necessary 

 to shade them from the blazing sun. 

 This is easily done by spreading some 

 sheets of paper over them, but remove 

 this shade instantly when the sun is 

 overclouded. When they have been in 

 this situation for a month, remove the 

 glasses entirely, and a month afterwards 

 commence potting them off in 3-inch 

 pots, four in a pot ; stopping them at 

 the same time to make them bushy. 

 Place them in a cold frame, upon a 

 layer of river-sand on coal-ashes; shade 

 again for a time, and give air mode- 

 rately. When they have made fresh 



