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Peculiarities, abound in almost every case and can only be dealt with 

 individually. 



It is my intention, for the purposes of this paper, to divide 

 Ornamental and Flowering Trees and Shrubs into four sections, 

 namely : — (a) Flowering Shrubs, (b) Flowering Climbing Shrubs, (c) 

 Ornamental foliage Shrubs and (d) Flowering Trees ; but before proceed- 

 ing further it will be advisable here to give some instructions on their 

 general cultivation. 



Propagation. 



It may be taken as a general rule that all or nearly all of our 

 flowering shrubs can be propagated from cuttings, but as each individual 

 will be dealt with further on it is not here necessary to enter into 

 peculiarities. The majority of the trees dealt with in this article are 

 propagated from seeds. 



This is the most satisfactory method of tree propagation but in 

 cases where seeds are not available cuttings may be used. It should, 

 however, be borne in mind that cuttings are not so satisfactory and are 

 not to be recommended for tree propagation. 



When only a few plants are required the cuttings or seeds may be 

 inserted in boxes or pots of well drained sandy soil, but if a large supply 

 is required it is advisable to make a few nursery beds in some shaded 

 corner of the garden — but not under trees where the heavy drip would 

 spoil the chances of success. The beds should be thrown up above 

 the level of the surrounding ground and if possible on a gentle slope. 

 To insure proper drainage a small trench should be cut round each bed 

 to carry off superfluous water and the beds may be of any length but 

 not more than four feet wide to enable them to be worked with ease. 



Cuttings should be taken, in the majority of cases, from well 

 ripened wood and will vary in length from six to twelve inches accord- 

 ing to the nature of the plant. 



It should be taken as a rule that each cutting should contain at 

 least four joints or nodes. It is generally thought amongst amateur 

 gardeners that a cutting should contain a growing point but this is a 

 mistake. If shoots or branches are cut up into lengths and inserted 

 three parts under the ground one or more of the dormant buds at the 

 joints or nodes will develop and shoots will be thrown out therefrom. 

 Boots will also develop from the nodes. 



Cuttings require to be of different degrees of firmness and a proper 

 knowledge of the peculiarities of different plants must be acquired from 

 experience before successful propagation can be practiced; but the 

 amateur will obtain quite good results if he follows the rule of interest- 

 ing cuttings of well ripened wood of the previous season's growth. 

 Where cuttings absolutely fail resort can be made to seeds, layering or 

 one of the other methods of propagation known to most people. Plants 

 raised from cuttings are ready for planting out in from one to three 

 months according to the kind. Plants from seeds take longer as a rule. 



In sowing seeds care should be taken that they are not covered too 

 deeply. A good rule to follow is to cover them with a thickness of soil 

 equal to the diameter of the seed. Very small seed should be sown in 

 shallow boxes or pans and covered very lightly with very fine soil. In 



