ON THE CULTURE OF PERENNIALS. 59 



they flower, when they are to be treated precisely the same 

 as the herbaceous kinds in culture. 



Dividing the roots. This may be done to increase the 

 herbaceous kinds in the early part of the spring, in precisely 

 the same manner as directed under the head of " Propagation 

 of Perennial Tuberous Roots" 



Grafting the tree Pseony. This may be effected by in- 

 serting the young shoot of the tree Pseonia into the tuberous 

 root of the herbaceous kind, by cutting the tuber square on 

 the top, and cleaving the root, precisely the same as directed 

 for the Dahlia, and inserting the graft, cut in the shape of a 

 wedge, which see under the proper head of grafting. To 

 this method, I add an extract from a writer in London's 

 Gardener's Magazine, who gives the following excellent items 

 on propagating of Pseonia Moutan. 



" In February, select any of the stems of the Paeonia 

 Moutan, or all may be used ; and at the distance of half an 

 inch from the centre of each bud, both above and below it, 

 cut out entirely round the stem a small ring of the bark, rather 

 more than the sixteenth of an inch wide, in the manner of 

 common ringing, as practised on fruit trees. Thus every bud 

 will occupy one inch of the stem, where the direct continua- 

 tion of its bark is obstructed, both above and below, by the 

 rings which have been cut out of it. The stems so prepared 

 are then to be laid horizontally about three inches beneath 

 the soil, leaving only the leading bud at the end of each 

 branch above the surface. In six months, every bud will 

 have made a vigorous shoot, and, in general, will have two 

 radical fibres at its base. In August, remove the soil from 

 above the layers, and having raised the newly made roots, 

 carefully separate each young shoot from the main layer, by 

 passing a small knife from one ring to the other, cutting out 

 about one-third part of the old stem. The young plants 

 should then be immediately potted, to remain till they are 

 required for planting out in their final situations. After thus 

 gathering the first crop of young plants, the old layers should 



