ON THE PROPAGATION OF CAPE HEATHS. 
113 
plunged, as by constant sprinkling they are liable to become too wet ; eighteen 
inches thick of new tan is put on the bed, about every two months ; this keeps up 
a regular warmth ; the new tan is suffered to lay on the old for the two months 
without mixing, then some of the old tan is taken away, and the whole mixed well 
together, at the same time spreading over the top eighteen inches more of new 
bark. The lights which cover the pit are attached by a loop, or string and nail, to 
the rafters of the house (7), at the time of sprinkling the cuttings with water. 
The front stage is supported by frames of one-inch square iron (8), set firm in 
three or four covers of brick work, and also driven into the wall of the house. One 
of these frames is placed at about every three feet; (9) flue; (10) beds of sand, 
with pots and glasses fitted in them ; there are three pieces of wood, one-and-a-half 
inch square, laid at the bottom of each bed to support two flat tiles, on which the 
sand is laid ; a board is also screwed to the turn-up iron to keep the sand up in front; 
the pots of cuttings are then plunged, by which means they are not so liable to 
suffer from either drought or constant watering, and the flue being underneath, 
gives a moderate warmth, and keeps the cuttings in a growing state through most 
part of the winter; a bracket is rivetted into each iron support (11), to bear a shelf, 
for the purpose of setting on the cutting glasses when not wanted, or at the 
time of sprinkling the cuttings. The pit is shaded by a covering of very thin 
canvass, three feet wide, which can be rolled up or spread out at pleasure, by 
means of a wooden roller (12). The canvass is attached to a lath, and by means 
of pulling a string tied to the lath, and passed through a ring (13), the canvass is 
stretched out as wide as the ring ; the string is then fastened to a nail (14), to keep 
the canvass in its place. When the string is loosed from the nail, the canvass 
may be rolled upon the roller by the hand ; (15) roller for shading the front 
pots in a similar manner, the lath is placed on a hook at (16), which keeps the 
blind extended, and is rolled up or spread out by the hand. 
The above was furnished us by Mr. Ronalds himself, some time ago, and was 
noticed in the Horticultural Register, vol. i. p. 626 ; the plan we admire and con- 
sider very complete, and the success attending its use, argues that it answers the 
purpose exceedingly well. 
ON THE PROPAGATION OF CAPE HEATHS, 
AS PRACTISED AT WOBURN ABBEY, AND DETAILED BY MR FORBES IN HIS EXCELLENT 
WORK, “ HORTUS WOBURNENSIS.” 
Cape Heaths being of much shorter duration than most other Cape plants, 
it is necessary to have constant recourse to propagation, in order to keep up the 
collection, which should be increased by cuttings and seeds ; the latter forming the 
only means of procuring new varieties, should be both introduced direct from the 
Cape, and saved from those plants that perfect their seeds in the heathery, or 
