PEL 



mould, in equal parts, with a liberal 

 addition of river-sand, finely sifted. Re- 

 place them on the shelf, and shade for 

 a time from hot sunshine. The seed- 

 lings will soon fill these small pots with 

 roots. They must then be re-potted 

 into a size larger pot, and may then be 

 treated in the same way as such as have 

 been propagated by cuttings. Keep 

 them close to the glass, and give abun- 

 dance of air on all favourable occasions. 

 As soon as the weather will permit, 

 place them out-of-doors, upon a bed of 

 ashes of sufficient thickness to prevent 

 worms from entering the pots. The 

 situation should be an open one, the 

 grand object being to ripen the wood, 

 and induce a stocky or bushy habit, so 

 as to insure them flowering the follow- 

 ing season. The size of pots to flower 

 them in need not be more than four- 

 and-a-half inches. When there is a 

 fear of autumnal frosts, remove them 

 into the greenhouse, and place them on 

 a shelf, at such a distance from the 

 glass as will serve to keep them dwarf 

 and bushy. There is no need to top 

 them in the manner recommended 

 hereafter for plants raised from cut- 

 tings, the object being not to make fine 

 specimens, but to get them to flower as 

 quickly as possible the spring following. 



By Cuttings. Cuttings may be put 

 in and struck from March to August ; 

 the general time, however, is when the 

 plants have done flowering, and require 

 cutting down to make bushy plants for 

 the next season. This generally hap- 

 pens from the end of June to the be- 

 ginning of August. 



The best place to strike the cuttings 

 in, is a well-constructed propagating- 

 house ; but as every one has not such 

 a convenience, they may be very suc- 

 cessfully propagated in a frame set 

 upon a spent hotbed, first removing the 

 soil, and replacing it upon a thick coat 

 of coal-ashes to keep out the worms. 

 Upon this coat place another of dry 

 sawdust, to plunge the cutting-pots. 

 This dry sawdust will serve to absorb 

 the moisture from the earth in the 

 pots, and the necessary waterings. The 

 best soil is pure loam, mixed with silver 

 sand. The size of the pots should 

 neither be too large nor too small 



3 ] PEL 



five inches wide at the top is the most 

 proper. Some use small pots, and only 

 place one cutting in each. This, where 

 the cuttings are few, and the conveni- 

 ence small, will be suitable enough. 

 It has this advantage, also, that the cut- 

 tings are, after being rooted, more con- 

 veniently repotted, without in the least 

 injuring the young and tender roots, 

 but where the quantity to be increased 

 is large, the former method of putting 

 in several cuttings in five-inch pots 

 will be more convenient, and, with 

 care, equally as successful. Whichever 

 method is adopted, the pots must be 

 well drained with broken potsherds, 

 the larger pieces at the bottom, and 

 smaller at the top. Fill them to the 

 top with the prepared loam, which 

 should be put through a rather coarse 

 sieve to take out the stones, roots of 

 grain, and other extraneous matter. It 

 should not be pressed down too hard, 

 but made firm enough to hold the cut- 

 tings fast. Another point is to use it 

 in a state neither wet nor dry. The 

 side-shoots which have not flowered, 

 and are not more than two inches long, 

 make the best cuttings. These should 

 be cut off close to the stem from whence 

 they spring with a sharp knife. Cut 

 off the bottom leaves close to the stem, 

 leaving only two of the uppermost. 

 Place the cuttings after they are made 

 in a shady place, upon a dry board or 

 slate, to dry up the wound. This will 

 take an hour on a dry day, or two hours 

 on a dull cloudy one. Then put them 

 in the prepared pots round the edge, 

 inclining the leaves inwards, so that 

 they may not touch the leaves of those 

 in the contiguous pots when they arc 

 placed in the frames, or set upon the 

 heated material in the propagating- 

 house. When a pot is filled, give it a 

 gentle watering, and set it on one side 

 to dry up the moisture on the leaves 

 and surface of the soil. Then plunge 

 them in the frame, and shade them 

 carefully and effectually from the sun, 

 or even from the light. Reduce the 

 shade gradually, using it only during 

 bright sunshine. A little air may also 

 be given every day, by tilting up the 

 lights behind, if in a frame. The pro- 

 pagating house will only require air 



