PROPAGATION. 255 



Just here we must stop a 'moment, and ascer- 

 tain what are the conditions needed to convert 

 these eyes into strong and healthy vines. We 

 want a clean, sharp sand for the sake of its por- 

 ousness ; one of the largest and most successful 

 propagators that we know 'is so particular as to 

 wash his sand thoroughly clean. We want a 

 suitable bed in which to place this sand. This 

 may be made of planed or rough boards, so 

 put together as to form an open box from 

 three to five feet wide, and about one foot 

 deep, the joints in the bottom being covered 

 with thin slips or laths to prevent the sand from 

 running through. This bed should run along 

 the sides of the house, and also through the 

 middle, when the house is wide enough. The 

 top of the bed should come nearly up to the 

 sill of the house, and be supported by posts 

 and cross lies. The height of the bed, however, 

 in reference to the sill, must be regulated by the 

 form of the house. The pipes or tanks for sup- 

 plying heat must run under the bed. If pipes 

 are used, then all the space, under the beds must 

 be boarded in for a hot-air chamber, with doors 

 at short intervals for regulating the heat. If a 

 hot water tank is used, no boarding in will be 

 needed, for the beds will rest immediately on 



