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LII. Upon the Cultivation of the Bouvardia triphylla. In 

 a Letter to the Secretary, By Mr. John Mearns, F. II. S. 



Read April 21, 1829. 



Sir, 



I sit down to communicate to you my method of cultivating, 

 in a wholesale sort of way, that charming old plant, the Bou- 

 vardia triphylla. I have at this time 100 plants of it, which 

 will blossom strong this summer in the flower garden here, 

 50 of which are only from roots of last year's propagation ; 

 and many of these flowered the same season, although not 

 planted till April. This year they will become strong flower- 

 ing plants towards the autumn, after the first bloom is over. 



My method of treating them is as follows : — about the 

 middle of April I collect all my Bouvardias together, from 

 the places where they have been kept through the dormant 

 season, some among my Orange Tubs, others in cold frames, 

 and others under the stage of the Green House. I turn 

 them all out of their pots, shaking the soil completely from 

 their roots; I trim off most of the large roots, yet retain as 

 many of the fine fibrous ones as possible ; I likewise at the 

 same time cut down all the former year's shoots, retaining only 

 two, three, or four eyes on each, according to the strength 

 and age of the plant. I then plant them in pots suitable to 

 the size of the plants, taking care neither to overpot them, 

 nor to cramp the roots by confinement. When I have got 

 all potted, and watered to settle the earth about their roots, 

 I place them in a cold frame, which I cover with hay and 



