302 
KALMIA LATIFOLIA. 
and other hardwooded things that bloom 
abundantly. If they are allowed to swell their 
seeds, the growth is retarded and the growing 
season is over before the plant has perfected 
its shoots. It follows .then, that as the bloom 
is destroyed, or rather, as the plant was not 
grown enough to perfect its flower buds, and 
so we are without flowers a whole season, the 
plant grows vigorously, perfects its growth 
only, and sets abundantly for bloom the next 
season. This then is the cause of American 
plants generally blooming badly or not at all, 
in the season following a very abundant show 
of flowers ; but if, as we before observed, the 
flower stems were nipped off" the instant the 
flowers began to fade, the whole strength of 
the plant would be exerted in the growth for 
the next year, and there would always be a 
good average bloom. "We cannot, however, 
too strongly impress upon the mind the ne- 
cessity of liberally watering the Kalmia while 
it is flowering and growing, without which 
it is almost impossible to continue it in a fine 
liealtyh state. 
PROPAGATION BY LAYERING. 
The Kalmia, as we have already observed, 
has branches to the ground. These branches 
may be so bent as to force the bend under 
ground ; and, by means of a hooked stick 
thrust into the soil, it may be held down, 
while the growing end of the branch may be 
forced upwards and be fastened above ground. 
Any branch so pegged down will in time 
send forth roots, and become dependent on its 
own roots, so that it may be severed from the 
pai-ent plant and be entirely a new plant. 
But various means are used to hasten the 
development of roots from the branch laid 
down. Some cut a slit in the branch, and so 
form a kind of interception to the passage of 
the sap ; others cut a notch half-way through ; 
some give the branch a twist ; but the wood 
of the Kalmia is very brittle, and unless these 
things be done very carefully the branch will 
break off" altogether. The easiest and safest 
process is to cut nearly half way through the 
wood, and then draw the knife upwards, so 
as to separate the wood a couple of inches in 
length ; the operation of pegging down will 
open this slit a little, and greatly facilitate 
the making of roots. The proper season for 
this work is when the plant is at rest, before 
it begins to make its summer growth ; and 
the branches laid down thus ought to be 
stripped of their flower buds, if there be any, 
that the whole vigour of the growth' may be 
exerted on the summer shoots. To propa- 
gate, therefore, by layering, a good bushy 
plant should be placed in the centre of a four- 
foot wide bed, such as we have described, full 
of peat earth- and dug as recommended, and 
all the branches that can be, brought down to 
the ground, so as to be pegged at some part 
of their stem below the surface. The layers 
must be pegged down all round the plant, 
which is called a stool, and in one year from 
the time of layering they may be separated 
from the stool which makes fresh shoots, to be 
in turn pegged down in the same way. When 
once separated from the stool, the stem may 
be cut up close to the root, and the plants 
put out in beds to be nursed up to the size 
required, or may be planted in the shrub- 
beries, or be potted off, as the case may be ; 
but the soil must be the same, and whenever 
they are planted in shrubberies there will be 
no dependence on their lasting in good order 
unless the place has been made fit for their 
reception and maintenance by the substitution 
of proper soil, to the depth of a couple of 
feet, for the natural earth of the place. 
TREATMENT AS A STANDARD. 
Whei'e it is desired to make a standard of 
a plant that comes naturally as a bush, you 
must select the strongest leading shoot for 
growth, and cut all others away. As this 
will advance much more rapidly for having 
all the strength of the root, be careful to rub 
off all other shoots that may come up either 
from the stem or the root. At the end of the 
growing season there may be side branches 
close up to the head, as it were, but let none 
except the leader remain ; and pull off, or cut 
off, the flower bud if any come, because 
blooming retards the growth. If more than 
the leading shoot begin to grow, pinch them 
out, for until the plant has acquired the 
height you wish it to attain, nothing but the 
shoot that is to go up should be allowed to 
grow. All shoots, therefore, that come out 
of the stem should be rubbed off before they 
have time to grow ; and when the stem is long 
enough you may let the head form itself. If 
any one shoot now takes the lead, instead of 
the growth becoming general, take off the 
end to check it, and make it send forth lateral 
branches ; and, when the head finally begins 
to shape itself moderately well, its natural 
growth may be allowed to go on ; that is to 
say, you need not remove the flower buds, 
but let them perfect their flowers. Then 
take away the truss of flower stems, and let 
the plant make its growth : do not forget to 
water liberally while it is blooming and after- 
wai'ds growing, and it will grow healthily 
and bloom as well as the dwarf plants in the 
ground. The only thing to guard against is, 
planting them in exposed situations, where 
they have all the sun and all the wind, for 
they will not kindly bear either the one or the 
t other in extremes. 
