CAI^A DIA N HORTICULTURIST. 



179 



cultivjitioii ; it does not produco such a 

 large, flabby flower, but the inarkin;,'s 

 are very distinct, and they retain 

 their size until late in the season. 



On the contrary, the Triniardeau 

 pansy, for thos(! that admire a very large 

 flower, is just the thing ; but the flower 

 does not retain its size as long as the 

 previous class, therefore, to the general 

 taste it is not as acceptable, dwindling 

 down by the end of the season to almost 

 smaller flowers than the German mixed. 



Fio. 65.— MixKn German Passv. 



The German mixed are e.xceedingly 

 pretty, and for general purposes as good 

 as the larger kinds, retaining their size 

 until the end of the season. In the 

 next issue of the Horticultukist I will 

 speak of the mode of cultivation. 



Propagating Roses by Cuttings. 



fl/rnE florists who make Ji specialty of 

 raising young roses for the market 

 generally, shortly after this time of 

 year, begin in earnest the Summer 

 propagation. The general method 

 adopted now, is to have a sort of out- 

 of-doors frame-work covered with 

 muslin to keep off" the burning sun's 

 rays — and high enough, aljout the same 

 as an ordinary span roof greenhouse, 

 lieneath this are common hot-beds, a 

 row on eacli side with a walk wide 

 enough for passage between. In the 

 Summer about a foot of good manure 

 IS enough to form the bottom heat. 

 Cuttings are inserted, rarely more than 

 a single eye cutting, into sand, heavily 

 watered to settle the sand, and tlie 

 whole is done. 



It is an almost sure method of pro- 

 pagation, particularly if there is good 

 half-ripe wood. A similar place would 

 be good to strike almost anything, 

 hence those who have not got much in 

 the way of a propagation house, can in 

 the Sunnner erect one as good as the 

 best for a very suiall outlay of money. 

 The main point, in propagation by cut- 

 tings, especially among soft-wooded 

 plants, or soft wood as a material, is to 

 keep the cutting in a close, moist 

 atmosphere until such times that nature 

 can put forth the effort of a set of new 

 roots, to sustain the evaporation from 

 the foliage. A dry atmosphere or a 

 wilting down of the cutting is generally 

 fatal, while any plant that easily keeps 

 from wilting naturally, or is placed 

 artiHcially favorable to prevent evapora- 

 tion, is what is sought after by the ex- 

 pert propagator. 



The wet sand theory, which consists 

 of taking any flat vessel, like a saucer, 

 and fllling in an inch of sandy soil, and 

 water an inch above that, will, if placed 

 in the sun even, and cuttings placed in 

 it, be found no mean appliance for 

 rooting a few plants, and is explainable 

 on the theory that the moist atmos- 

 phere immediately surrounding the 

 cutting prevents the wilting spoken of. 

 — Prairie Farvier. 



