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THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



Eaising Plants. — Acacias are propagated by means of cuttings ; also by seeds — 

 when these can be procured. Short cuttings of half- ripened wood taken off during the 

 summer with a heel, are the most reliable. These should not be allowed to flag before 

 they are inserted, and in readiness for them have filled either heavily drained pots or 



pans with fine peat and sand, surfaced with pure 

 sand, making all smooth and firm. Insert the 

 cuttings so that they stand just free from each 

 other, taking care that they touch the bottom of 

 the holes made with a small dibber for their re- 

 ception ; well fix them in position, and give a gentle 

 but good watering through a very fine-rosed can. 

 They will not succeed in heat, but must be placed 

 in a shady part of a greenhouse. When the cuttings 

 have dried after watering, but before flagging takes 

 place, cover them with a bell-glass, shade from the sun 

 and keep the soil steadily moist till they are rooted. 

 There ought to be no undue delay in placing the 

 rooted cuttings singly in 2-inch pots, using a peaty 

 compost, and they should be kept close and moder- 

 ately warm for a few days after potting. A green- 

 house shelf or shallow cool frame will suit them for 

 the next few months. 



Unless acacia seed is sown directly it is ripe, it 

 is liable to become very hard and to germinate 

 indifferently, soaking the seed in moderately hot 

 water till it is soft not always proving a remedy. 

 "When possible, therefore, sow the seed directly it 

 is ripe, in sandy peaty soil and a brisk heat. Cover 

 with squares of glass and shade heavily till the 

 seedlings appear. When large enough to handle, place these singly in 2-inch pots, and 

 thenceforward treat similarly to cutting-raised plants. 



Culture. — In order to make the young plants bushy they ought to be topped 

 occasionally, and should further receive a shift into larger pots according as they require 

 it. For these later shifts and for large plants generally, stronger soil than previously 



Fig. 69. AUACIA LINEATA. 



