32 



scie:^ce or f.ArDi:NiNG. 



moisture, and shade, to enable tliem to form roots, and 

 establish themselves in the soil. Heat is indispensable, 

 in order to stimulate them into action, and induce them 

 to grow ; therefore, the practice of placing cuttings in a 

 border with a northern aspect, is extremely injudicious, 

 for, though they may thus be shaded from sun-light, they 

 vrill be deprived of a sufficient degree of heat, and any 

 artificial shading would answer ecjually well. A certain 

 quantity of moisture is likevvuse necessary for them, but 

 an undue supply of it has a most injurious tendency, and 

 will speedily cause them to rot : consecjuently, where 

 they are planted in the open grotmd, a spot with a very 

 light soil should be chosen for this purpose, and when 

 they are placed in pots, an abundance of white sand 

 should be mingled with the soil, or, with very delicate 

 plants, pure sand alone is preferable. 



To facilitate the escape of water, from the pots contam- 

 ing cuttings, a good drainage is of first importance : and, 

 for this pm-pose, an abundance of pieces of broken pots, 

 old bricks, or coal ashes, should be placed in the bottom of 

 the pot : indeed, the pot should be, at least, half filled with 

 materials of this description ; and with cuttings that are 

 diflicult to strike, a good practice is to let the lower end 

 of the cutting rest on some such materials as those above- 

 mentioned, which v>-ill effectually prevent it from rotting 

 at the base, and cause it to produce roots more speedily. 



As the life of the cuttings must be somewhat feeble till 

 the roots are formed, and as an exposure to light would 

 induce them to evaporate what little moisture they contain, 

 and, consequently, cause them to Avither and die, the more 

 delicate and tender kinds, and those of a watery nature, 

 with soft and juicy stems, should be covered with a bell- 

 glass, and have a piece of garden mat or canvas placed 

 over this to shade them during the heat of the day Tand, 

 where a hand-glass is not procurable, a few willow, or other 

 branches, vshould be bent over them, in order to support 

 the material used for shading ; but with hardy trees and 

 shmbs this protection is unnecessary. For the same 

 reasons, the cuttings should be deprived of most of their 

 leaves, and any tendency to produce fiower-buds must be 

 timely checked, as either too many leaves^ or any flowers, 



