THE STOVE. 



15 



away without examination. Whenever there is any doubt of 

 their vegetating, let some of them be taken up, and opened 

 with a knife ; when they will at once discover whether they be 

 sound or not ; if sound, they must be still kept in a strong 

 heat, and regularly watered as before ; for want of this simple 

 precaution valuable seeds are often carelessly thrown on the 

 rubbish-heap, when just bursting their shell or embryo ; and 

 not unfrequently, by that accidental check, are so materially 

 injured as to prevent more than one half of them vegetating 

 again, if they have been at all so fortunate as to be noticed 

 and resowed." 



Sweet, writing on the same subject, observes, " When seeds 

 are received from abroad, some of them should be sown im- 

 mediately, whatever season it may be ; for sometimes seeds 

 will grow when first received, which will not if kept some 

 months longer: but the general time of sowing should be 

 early in spring, that the plants may get strong before winter.' 

 A gentle hot-bed is best for bringing up most of the tropical 

 kinds, but some few will come up better on a shelf, or a flue 

 of the hot-house. The sooner seedlings are potted off the 

 better, as they do not miss their moving when potted off very 

 young ; but seedlings arfe not so hardy, nor so easily pre- 

 served, as plants raised from cuttings, and seldom make so 

 good plants; from cuttings they have stronger roots, and a 

 greater number of them." 



PROPAGATING TROPICAL PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 



The propagation of tropical plants, by cuttings, is by far 

 more generally adopted than rearing them from seeds. As we 

 have already observed, seeds of such plants are not often per- 

 fected in our stoves, but cuttings can always be had in plenty 

 from plants that are properly treated, excepting from those 

 which do not produce shoots fit for the purpose ; but even 

 most of those are capable of being increased by other means, 

 which will be noticed in the sequel. The season best calcu- 

 lated for commencing the operation of increasing by cuttings, 

 depends more on the state of the plants intended to be ope- 

 rated upon, than upon any particular day, week, or month. It 



