hy the Use of Charcoal. 155 



vent the access of heat, charcoal, as it is well known, being a 

 very bad conductor of heat. 



1. Cuttings of the following species of plants planted in char- 

 coal rooted : — 



In from 8 to 14< days, ^uphorbz'a fulgens, ^. fastuosa, E. picta, 

 Hecht?« stenopetala Klotzsch, Ipomoe^a purga, I. a?notherdides, 

 I. superba, Hakea microcarpa, Lobeim picta, Conradm lasi- 

 antha Zuccar.^ Thunbergm alata, Cecropm palmata, C. peltata, 

 Leycesterm formosa, Strobilanthes Sabin/, Ficus religiosa, F. 

 pendula, Begonm ykgifoUa, B. castaneifolia, B. sanguinea, B. 

 bulbifera, B. dipetala, &c., Tropae^olum majus fl. pi. In the 

 Cacti family, cuttings planted in charcoal were particularly suc- 

 cessful. Of some hundred species that had been dried for some 

 days previously in the air, about twenty succeeded perfectly ; 

 among these were Echinocactus pruinosa, E. phyllacantha, 

 Melocactus mammillariseformis, Mammillaria macrothele, M. 

 uberiformis, &c., many of them from IJ to 2 or Sin. in diameter. 

 Cereus, Rhipsalis, and Epiphyllum made no distinction in root- 

 ing; besides, in this short space of time, the roots of many species 

 had grown 6 in. long, and the rooting was in general much more 

 perfect than is usually the case. Other succulent plants, such 

 as Mesembryanthemum, Rochea, Cotyledon, &c., rooted as 

 quickly. 



In from a fortnight to three weeks : Piper nigrum, Chiococca 

 racemosa, ^myris Unanuie^ Buddlea madagascariensis, ^'ster 

 tomentosus, Phyllanthus multiflorus, Capparis longifolia, C. 

 frondosa, ^'Inus denticulata, A. barbata, f/'lex provincialis, 

 /Salvia semiatrata %uccar,^ Mimosa' Houston?', Murray« exotica, 

 Barler/a hystrix, O'xalis mandioccdna, Clerodendron infortu- 

 natum, ^nacampseros filamentosa, Solanum xanthocanthum 

 Mart.f Cordyline Eschscholtz/a««. 



In from three to four weeks : Chamaedorea elatior, Jacquima 

 mexicana, Cestrum uerbascifohum, Crotori adenophylla, Pa?i~ 

 dmius amaryWidifdlius, Carludovicz'a palmata, Dracae^na humilis, 

 D. marginata, Hernandm ovigera. 



In about six weeks ; Calamus Draco, Dombeya acerifolia. 



In two months : Panddnus utilis. Both cuttings that were 

 planted put forth thick side roots. 



Some apology may be requisite for having introduced in this 

 list many plants in most cases easy to strike ; but this appeared 

 to me to be necessary, partly on account of explicitness, and 

 partly because opinions and experience vary as to plants being 

 easy or difficult to root, and also because some of them made 

 extraordinarily strong roots. 



There is no doubt that many experiments did not succeed, but 

 their number is so small in comparison with those that did, that 

 no blame can be attached to this new method, when we consider 



