150 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



work with hot air and tan or other fermenting material, in- 

 volving an immense amount of manual labour. 



The cuttings of Fuchsias, as soon as they are grown of suffi- 

 cient length, are taken off and neatly cut close under the joint, 

 and inserted in mould of light texture mixed with a good portion 

 of leaf-mould and silver sand. Cuttings will also root most 

 readily in decomposed cocoa-nut fibre mixed with plenty of 

 sharp silver sand ; in this latter I find that the rooting process, 

 on a brisk bottom heat, is greatly accelerated, and the young 

 rootlets more profuse. When the young plants are well furnished 

 with roots, they should be potted singly into 2-inch or 3-inch 

 pots, according to the strength and size of the plants. The 

 compost used should be that of good, well-prepared top-spit from 

 a meadow or sheep-pasture ; this should be incorporated with 

 clean leaf-mould and gritty sand. The pots used should be new, 

 or washed very clean and well dried before using. The plants, 

 after potting, may be put back into the propagating pit, or in 

 some warm, close corner of the house, and watered with a fine 

 rose. Great attention must be paid to the watering. An occa- 

 sional sprinkling will greatly facilitate the formation of new 

 roots. When the roots have reached the sides of the pots, shift 

 the plants into 4-inch or 5-inch pots, and place them in a more 

 airy situation. Shading from intense sun must be strictly 

 adhered to ; but should the external atmosphere be genial, air 

 may be freely admitted to induce a healthy and sturdy growth. 

 The subsequent treatment required is one of progressive shifting 

 from one sized pot to a larger until they receive their final shift, 

 using the soil somewhat coarser, and adding a little soot and a 

 small portion of well-decomposed cow manure, or from an old 

 mushroom-bed, in rather a dry condition. In potting it is of para- 

 mount importance that the potting mould should be in a happy 

 medium state, neither too wet nor too dry ; and as it is well 

 that the plants should receive no water for a day or two after 

 the shifting, especial care should be taken that all have been 

 well watered before the operation is begun. Should the top-spit 

 of loam be of rather a close or retentive nature, a sixth part of good 

 fibrous peat may be added with considerable advantage. As the 

 plants come on, attention must be paid to stopping the shoots, 

 so as to regulate the growth and make the plants assume a 

 uniform shape, and induce them to blossom more abundantly. 



