682 Expeditious Method of 



get the line of its circumference, I proceeded, with a dibber 

 about the size of a small quill, to plant the cuttings ; which 

 was done carefully, without pressing them much, rather 

 leaving them to be fixed by watering than with the dibber. 

 The pot being filled with cuttings, I watered them, standing 

 at some distance, with a very finely perforated syringe, elevated 

 so as to let the water descend on them like a gentle shower 

 of rain. This was repeated several times, until I conceived 

 the whole of the mould to be completely saturated ; after 

 which the glass was set over them, and the pot placed in the 

 front of the green-house. A gentle syringing was repeated 

 every morning for the first three weeks, and, afterwards, every 

 other morning for about three weeks more. At this period 

 many of the cuttings had begun to strike, and, as soon as this 

 was observable, less watering was resorted to. In about ten 

 weeks many of the cuttings were fit for potting off, which was 

 immediately attended to ; and, after being potted in thumb 

 pots, they were placed under a hand-glass, or in a cold frame, 

 in a shady situation, where they were gradually hardened by 

 giving air, until they could bear .exposure. Great care was 

 taken in removing them from the cutting-pot, by gently raising 

 them with a small piece of wood, cut for the purpose. .They 

 generally rose with little balls, round the outsides of which I 

 could frequently perceive numerous small fibres protruding 

 themselves, as white as milk. During several years' practice 

 in raising heaths in the above way, I have many times ob- 

 served the small fibres striking out two or three joints above 

 the surface, and making their way down the cutting to the 

 mould. 



The success of the above mode, I found, rested principally, 

 if not entirely, upon the state of the cutting, and the health 

 of the mother plant. The cutting should neither be of the 

 strongest nor of the weakest growth ; and it is almost needless 

 to add that the plant should be healthy from which the 

 cutting is taken. With regard to the varieties of slow growth, 

 it is but seldom that cuttings can be found on them of the 

 kind to insure success by this method, as they are gene- 

 rally too thick and turgid, as well as the sorts too hardy in 

 their growth ; but I am convinced that means might be used 

 with many of them, so as to obtain cuttings that would strike 

 in the above way, and of this I once had a proof. On visit- 

 ing a gentleman's garden, about ten miles distant, I perceived 

 an jErica which had been improperly left in a house where 

 early forcing had commenced ; it was so drawn that its former 

 habit was completely changed. On asking its name, I was 

 told it was the E. depressa. It instantly occurred to me that 



