HEATH-HOUSE. 



705 



the kinds selected to be put in the same pot 

 should be as nearly of the same habit as can 

 be judged of at the time. For example, I shall 

 suppose four pots are intended to be filled with 

 cuttings — such as the following should be select- 

 ed for each pot : First pot — Melastoma, Peti- 

 veriana, Petiverii, Sebana, penicilliflora. Second 

 pot — pinea, pinifolia, vestita, grandiflora, pur- 

 purea. Third pot — ventricosa, prsegnans, Lin- 

 nseana, Linnseoides, colorans. Fourth pot — Ait- 

 oniana, jasminiflora, ampullacea, Irbyana, inflata. 

 Unless this is attended to, one sort will be found 

 to strike root in a much shorter time than 

 others in the same pot, which makes it more in- 

 convenient when potting them out. This must, 

 however, always happen to a certain extent, for 

 a little difference in the age or firmness of the 

 cuttings, even when the work is performed by 

 the most expert hand, will often make a differ- 

 ence in the time required to strike root." To 

 this very judicious arrangement we may offer 

 the varieties of the following, which are now 

 pretty numerous of each of the types, — viz., 

 pinea, Ewerana, vestita, exsurgens, tricolor, ven- 

 tricosa, echiiflora, aristata, Linnseana, &c. : the 

 varieties of each of these may for the most part 

 be set in the same cutting-pot. 



In regard to the state of the wood, that of 

 the present year's growth is to be preferred, 

 some taking it while quite young and soft, others 

 when more firm or nearly matured ; while there 

 are cultivators who use it when completely 

 ripened, and all succeed equally well. The 

 former plunge their pots in a mild bottom-heat 

 in a close moist frame or pit, the cuttings root- 

 ing rapidly or damping off at once, particularly 

 if the bell-glasses they are covered with be not 

 kept wiped clean of condensed vapour daily. 

 The second generally plunge the pots in coal- 

 ashes, sand, or similar media, in a rather damp 

 shaded place, covering each pot with a bell- 

 glass, and the whole with a close frame and 

 lights. Cuttings thus treated do not root so 

 soon, but they do so with greater certainty. 

 Those who employ wood more fully ripened, 

 treat them much as the last, and wait patiently 

 for the rooting process, should it occupy several 

 months, and even in some cases extend over the 

 winter. Some sorts, it should be observed, strike 

 better by one of these modes than by another; 

 and as some guide to the uninitiated, we may 

 observe that all fast-growing sorts do best by 

 the former, while many of the slow-growing 

 kinds, such as rupestris, Banksiana, &c, succeed 

 best by the latter process. The length of cut- 

 tings depends greatly upon the habit of the 

 species ; some of the strong-growing kinds, like 

 versicolor, may be from 1 inch to 1^ inches in 

 length, while others of the slow-growing kinds 

 may be taken at half that length. In selecting 

 the cuttings, it is of importance that they be 

 taken from healthy plants. At one time a pre- 

 ference was given to the tips of the lateral 

 branches, and some even went so far as to choose 

 them from the side branches nearest the bottom 

 of the plant, and rejected the leading or stronger 

 shoots altogether. This was done from an idea 

 of preventing the plants from growing too 

 robust. The case is now pretty generally re- 



versed. To have fine healthy plants, we must 

 begin with healthy and vigorous cuttings, and 

 depend on topping and after-culture for model- 

 ling the plant. 



In preparing pots for the reception of cut- 

 tings, no size above that of thirty-twos in Eng- 

 land, and thirties in Scotland, which are 4 f inches, 

 should be employed ; and some use pots of that 

 width and only 3 inches deep, thickly perforated 

 with holes in the bottom for insuring drainage. 

 In the former case they should be nearly half- 

 filled with broken crocks, a little turfy peat laid 

 over them, and over that a little finely-sifted 

 sandy peat, and the remainder filled as high as 

 the rim with fine silvery sand for the cuttings 

 to strike root in. When the pots are thus pre- 

 pared, and the cuttings ready to be set in them, 

 the sand should be well moistened with water, 

 and firmly pressed down. 



In preparing the cuttings, the leaves should 

 be cut clean away from the lower half with a 

 very sharp penknife or finely-pointed scissors, 

 and the lower end cut transversely over, making 

 a clean cut. The leaves retained should on no 

 account be shortened, nor should the top of the 

 cutting be interfered with. They should then 

 be set in the damp sand pretty thickly together, 

 but always in rows across the pot, which will 

 enable the propagator to remove any green mu- 

 cous matter that may afterwards form on the 

 surface of the sand. When they are set, water 

 over-head with a very fine rose-pot, to settle the 

 sand firmly around their stems. When mode- 

 rately dried in the shade, cover closely with 

 clean bell-glasses, and remove the pots to the 

 place designed for them. 



Some cultivators dispense with bell-glasses 

 altogether, but they are chiefly those who em- 

 ploy heat in hastening the rooting process ; but 

 at the same time they set the pots on a bed of 

 sand or coal-ashes in a house or pit kept regu- 

 larly shaded, and exceedingly close and mode- 

 rately moist. In this way many of the London 

 growers propagate heaths with great rapidity 

 and success. In either way great attention 

 should be paid to watering ; indeed, the pots 

 should be kept rather moist than otherwise, for 

 drought and excess of air are equally fatal to 

 them until they have fully established them- 

 selves. As the roots begin forming, the cutting 

 will begin to elongate at top, which indicates 

 that more air is required ; and this demands 

 strict attention, to prevent the young plant from 

 becoming drawn up slender, and to harden them 

 off so that they may bear transferring into other 

 pots with impunity. 



In regard to transplanting, the same rule 

 should be observed as already stated in the case 

 of seedlings, as also their after- culture. 



Soil. — The majority of heaths prefer a poor 

 sterile soil upon a dry bottom. There are, 

 however, some exceptions to this rule which 

 will be noticed below. The majority of the 

 plants, also, which we have given at the begin- 

 ning of this article, agree with them in this 

 respect, and when otherwise, it will be referred 

 to. Peat earth, bog mould, heath mould, &c. — 

 for the soil in question is known by all these 

 names — is to be found chiefly iu uncultivated 



