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CULTURE OF TELOPEA SPECIOSISSIMA. 
Perhaps this plant may be set down as one of the most lovely that was ever 
introduced into our greenhouses, whether we take into account its splendid scarlet 
blossoms, or its fine upright growth ; like most of the Proteacece it is very liable 
to perish from many causes, and is therefore remarkably scarce, being found in 
very few collections^ and in those few seldom growing in perfection. This 
deficiency probably arises from too cold an atmosphere in winter, or too much or 
too little water at any time. To cultivate it successfully, attend to the following 
rules : — 
First. Pot the plant in a mixture of equal parts, very sandy, heath mould, light 
loamj and leaf mould ; if the heath mould cannot be obtained very sandy, a portion 
of sand must be added to it. 
Second. Always be careful to fill about one-third of each pot with broken 
potsherds, to prevent the soil from ever becoming too sodden. 
Third. Drought is as injurious to this plant as too much moisture, therefore by 
no means ever allow it to flag for want of water; during summer, a good deal of 
attention is required, particularly as it always locates in an airy situation ; a good 
plan to prevent any evil effects is, at the time of potting, to mix some pieces of 
coarse soft freestone, broken to about an inch diameter, with the soil ; after Mr. 
M'Nab's plan, these stones retain the moisture longer than the earth, and when 
the roots have once grown about them, they will derive sufficient nourishment to 
prevent the plant drooping much longer than it otherwise would; and in winter 
they keep the passage through the soil more open, for the escape of the water. 
Fourth. Never water at the roots, except the soil in the pot appears dry, for if 
overwatered in winter, it is inevitably destroyed, and in summer is almost sure to 
be seriously injured. 
Fifth. Always place the plant in a dry airy part of the greenhouse, where it will 
not be smothered by other plants, as nothing spoils the foliage more than too close 
confinement of this kind. 
SiMh> Propagation. — It is propagated by cuttings, which should be made of the 
ripe wood taken off from the extremities of the branches, just at the close of winter, 
and planted in sand and covered with a glass. 
Seve7ith. Make no cutting of less length than an inch and a half, take them off at a 
joint, cut the bottom smooth with a very sharp knife, and take off the leaves form 
that part to be inserted in the sand, but leave every other leaf entire. 
Eighth. In preparing the cutting pots, fill them nearly three parts full of 
potsherds, the upper ones broken fine; on this bed of drainage lay as much fine 
sand as will fill the pot level, insert the cuttings deep enough to reach just through 
the sand, and rest upon the fine potsherds. This system is advantageous for three 
reasons : first, because there can be no possible stagnation of water, which, to a 
cutting, would be immediate death ; secondly, because the bottoms of the cuttings 
coming in contact with the broken potsherds, they derive a degree of moisture in so 
VOL. Ill, NO. XXXVl. N N 
