(JYTISUS. 95 



As remarked above^ the usual mode of propagating this 

 plant is by euttings. It is waste of time to make cuttings 

 of the old wood. The young shoots, when two inches 

 long, should be taken, if possible, with a heel : that is, the 

 thickened part of the shoot where it springs from the (jld 

 wood. Two or three of the lower leaves should be removed 

 from each cutting, and then they should be planted rather 

 close together in a pan or pot hlled with a mixture of loam 

 one part to sand two parts, and with an inch or so of sand 

 only on the top. Give them a gentle vvatering from a tine- 

 rose watering-pot, and place the pan in a frame, and shut 

 it up close. If you must keep it in the greenhouse, a bell- 

 glass should be put over the euttings. 



In managing seeds and euttings, it is a golden rule to 

 keep them always sutSciently moist, without at any time 

 being injuriously damp. A large proportion of the losses 

 of plants by amateurs are the result of injudicious water- 

 ing. The plants are distressed by long neglect, and then 

 too much water is given to make amends. Where this 

 carelessness prevails they are as often deprived of air as 

 of water — a scarcely less injurious neglect. Injudicious 

 watering would often prove comjjaratively harmless were 

 the pots and pans well drained; for when the pots are 

 packed with potsherds at the bottom in a neat manner 

 before the soil is put in, they can endure both dryness and 

 excess of m(jisture with less harm than when the drainage 

 is dehcient. These are matters of great importance in 

 the enjoyment of a garden, and the plant before us is 

 one of the most suitable for a beginner to practise with, 

 because it can endure much without serious detriment to 

 its cheerful beauty. 



In the description of the laburnum, at page 57 of the 



