Cultivation of Chinese Chrysanthemums. 361 



obsolete, as the former now has. Such as it is, however, I now 

 lay it before the Horticultural Society. 



In the beginning of April, a certain number of cuttings of 

 each sort of Chrysanthemum in the collection, are taken 

 for the supply of flowering plants for the ensuing season. 

 The cuttings are taken from the top shoots of the last year's 

 plants. The pots used for the cuttings at first are those 

 generally called about London, small sixties. They are filled 

 with mould made up of one-half equal portions of loam and 

 bog-mould, and one-half sand. The cuttings when prepared, 

 are about three inches long, they are inserted singly, one in 

 each pot, and when all are potted, the pots are placed in a 

 frame supplied with a gentle bottom heat. They are kept 

 in the frame until they are well rooted, which usually is in 

 about three weeks or a month. When the plants are fit to 

 move, they are placed in a cold frame to harden a little 

 before they are exposed in the open air ; for this it is ne- 

 cessary to take off the lights in the day-time, and to close 

 them again at night. About the beginning of June, the 

 plants are shifted into fcrty-eight sized pots ; they are then 

 arranged in an open airy piece of ground, and watered 

 with richly manured water, in which soap-suds have been 

 mixed. The pots are never plunged in the earth, as it is 

 found they do equally well without it, and when they are 

 plunged in garden mould, the plants are continually rooting 

 through their pots, and require to be moved every week or 

 fortnight ; besides, the quantity of mould in the pots is so 

 small that it requires frequent watering, and when the pots are 

 plunged watering is often neglected, and the consequence is 

 that the shoots grow weak and small. After the second pottiug, 



