■74 



THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



I sharp knife, so as to leave a smooth unfractured 

 section : when the cuttings are thus prepared, take a 

 pot and fill it with sand, sort the cuttings so that the 

 short ones may be altogether, and those that are taller 

 by themselves. Then with a small dibble plant the 

 cuttings about five inches deep in the Sand, and give 

 them a good watering overhead to settle the sand 

 about them ; let them stand a day or two in a shady 

 place, and then plunge the pots to the brim in a 

 fi-ame with bottom heat. Shade them with a double 

 mat till they have struck root ; when rooted take the 

 sand and cuttings out of the pot, and plant them intb 

 single pots in proper soil : plunge the pots again into 

 a frame with bottom heat, and shade them with mats 

 for four or five weeks, or till they are taken with the 

 pots, when they may be gradually exposed to the 

 light.' — From various experiments, Henderson found 

 that pieces of two years' old wood struck quite well ; 

 and in place therefore of putting in cuttings six or 

 eight inches long, he has taken off cuttings from one 

 to two feet long and struck them with equal success. 

 At first he put in cuttings only in the month of Au- 

 gust ; but now he puts them in at every season of 

 the year, except wheii the plants are making young 

 wood. With a gentle bottom heat, and close cover- 

 ing with hand-glasses or frames, they generally root 

 in seven weeks or two months. The citron he finds 

 the easiest struck and freest grower; and he fre- 

 quently strikes shoots of citron and lemon eighteen 

 inches long, and as soon as they are transplanted and 



