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JOURNAL OF THE RoVAL HOHTHTLTI RAL SOCIETY. 



it would be advisable to remove the plants, say to the foot of a south wall, 

 protecting them in severe weather with a light covering of litter, for 

 although the unbloomed seedlings are perfectly hardy, the bloomed plants 

 need this extra care and attention. They may be replanted by the end of 

 March and treated exactly as recommended for the unbloomed plants, 

 but will requite their shoots thinning out when of sufficient size. 



Should any extra fine specimens be obtained from seed and it is 

 desired to perpetuate them, the propagation by cuttings or grafts must be 

 resorted to, in which case the bottom of the side laterals must be allowed 

 to remain, simply shortening them back a few inches in order to allow 

 the buds at the base to develop. These will produce the summer cuttings. 

 Bach shoot should be cut up into lengths of about four inches, cutting 

 each immediately below a bud and allowing the leaf-stalks to remain. 

 Place the cuttings in ;i smoothly prepared bed in the open ground, leaving 

 ;i portion of both the leaf-stalk and stem above the surface, in fact very 

 similar to the propagation of vines from eyes. Sprinkle the cuttings over 

 with water should the weather come dry. They will start to root in a 

 very short space of time, and when sufficiently rooted they should be 

 carefully lifted and potted in 54-size pots. The Hollyhock strikes root 

 very readily in this manner, and maybe propagated in very large numbers, 

 but the difficulty is to preserve them during the winter. I have known 

 plants, which appeared strong and healthy in everyway, die off unaccount- 

 ably by the thousand in the winter prior to the fungus making its appear- 

 ance. A light, airy, cool greenhouse seems to be the most suitable 

 shelter. 



Another plan of propagating is from cuttings or grafts under glass in 

 the spring. Plants intended for this purpose should have all their growth 

 removed at the end of the flowering season, leaving only the eyes, or 

 dormant buds, which will furnish the spring cuttings. Remove a portion 

 of the soil from the main stem with a trowel to the depth of two inches, 

 and about nine inches from the main stem; mound the roots well up, 

 covering all the eyes over with cocoanut fibre, or some other similar 

 material, and see that every particle of the stem where there is a bud is 

 well protected. 'Phis covering is a means for protecting the eyes, which 

 will produce the future cuttings, against the disease, since the condition of 

 the atmosphere at this season of the year is highly favourable to its 

 development. By the end of October, lift the plants carefully, shorten 

 back their longest roots, pot them into 10-size pots, plunge the pots out- 

 side in a bed of cinder ashes, and protect their steins and buds as pre- 

 viously recommended. They may remain thus until about the first week 

 in January, when they should be placed in a moderately warm green- 

 house, near to the glass, admitting air on all favourable occasions, and of 

 (on rso removing the cocoanut fibre. Growth will commence in a very 

 ihort time. Take off the cuttings and plant in small pots in the same 

 way as with Dahlias, and place the cuttings in a close frame for about 

 three weeks or a month, admitting air at night in order to avoid their 

 fogging off. They can then ho introduced to a gentle bottom heat, and 

 when sufficiently rooted, gradually harden them off in a cool frame or 

 house, shifting them into larger-sized pots, ready for planting out in 

 their flowering miarters in March or April. When propagating by graft, 



