80 CORR^A HARRISII. 
It is gratifying to mark the noble traits which this mysterious operation eUcits. ! 
In CorrcBa Harrisii there is a boldness of habit, a luxuriance of stems and ' 
branches, a size and liveliness of foliage, and a showiness of the inflorescence, 
which may be sought in vain in the most carefully cultivated specimens of either 
of the parent species. The several causes which have united in producing this 
decided amelioration have been detailed by Mr. Beaton, in a valuable paper in the 
Gardener's Magazine, to which he has invited our attention, and of the more 
important parts of which we shall add a summary. 
Plants intended for hybridization, particularly those which are to produce and 
mature the seeds, should be of a very healthy habit, and in a luxuriant state of 
growth. This point is much and justly insisted on, with the concomitant one of i 
their bearing flowers on the strongest leading branches. Mr. Beaton recommends 
that they should be taken to a stove about the end of February, introducing them 
to this increased temperature gradually, and not at once transferring them thither 
from the greenhouse. From all the lateral shoots, the blossom-buds are then 
removed, leaving only those which are borne on the main stems. " As soon as 
the flower expands, extract the anthers from the intended female parent ; and 
next day, or as soon as you perceive the pistils getting moist, apply the pollen, at 
the same time making two or three slits in the whole length of the corolla, to let 
out the sweet secretion often lodging on the germen. See that the decaying 
corolla does not cause the style to damp off", as this ought to be preserved till it 
dries of itself. As soon as you perceive the germen swelling, stop the leading 
shoots. Apply all safe stimulants till the seeds are ripe, but do not let the plant 
expend its energies in the production of young wood. Pinch off every bud as 
it off'ers to expand. Keep the plant or plants as near the glass as possible all the 
time, and sow the seeds as soon as ripe." 
Aided by these elaborate instructions, the culturist will be enabled to hybridize 
Corraeas in his own collection, and, by continually mixing the properties of the 
best of these as they produce blossoms, he will, after a few generations, find his 
success fully compensatory of his labour. We cannot exactly coincide with the 
assertion, that plants whose seeds are formed and ripened in a stove will give 
birth to other plants equally hardy ; nevertheless, where superior varieties are 
desired, and hardihood is not an object, heat will certainly be useful. 
Mr. Beaton grows his Corrasas in a more loamy soil than most cultivators, 
and finds this practice advantageous. With Mr. Low, of Clapton, who has the 
sole stock of C. Harrisii^ it is propagated most easily by cuttings. 
