THE PLEASURE GROUND. 



'2C/J 



ing a mat over the lights while the cuttings are 

 striking root ; some of the species will require a 

 slight degree of bottom heat, to induce them to 

 throw out young roots. The most suitable season 

 for the propagating of tropical plants, is from 

 January to July ; but many of the kinds may be 

 put into the cutting pots at any period of the year, 

 providing that the young shoots are in a proper 

 state, as some species require the wood to be 

 ripened and firm before they are put in ; whilst 

 others may be increased when the shoots have 

 grown only sufficiently long for the cutting. In 

 stripping the foliage from the shoot, care must be 

 taken not to injure the bark, and not to clear away 

 more of the leaves than are necessary for the insertion 

 of the lower end of the cutting in the soil or sand 

 in the pot, where they are all inserted ; a gentle 

 watering should be given, to settle the soil about 

 them, and the pots then covered with hand-glasses 

 until the cuttings begin to grow, and throw out 

 young roots, when a little air may be given, to 

 prevent their being drawn up in a weak state. The 

 sand, or mould, in which they are planted, must 

 not be saturated too much with water, otherwise it 

 will rot the cuttings. 



When the plants have struck root, they should 

 be immediately potted off in small sized pots, and 

 placed in a slight hot-bed for a few days, and kept 

 shaded from the effects of the mid day sun until 

 they have got a little established, when they may 

 be removed with safety to the stove. Seeds that 

 have been received from abroad, should be imme- 



