HOVEA CELSII, AND ITS CULTURE. 
551 
establishing the root, pinch out the top. Let 
the pot stand in a heath pit, close to the glass, 
in the most airy part of the greenhouse, 
shaded from the blazing heat of the sun, and 
be entirely uncovered in mild cloudy weather. 
All the air that can be given, should be given ; 
the object is to grow the plant slowly, for 
with rapid growth in exciting soil, such as 
the one -shift madmen recommended, the 
leaves would be far apart, and the most con- 
summate skill would fail to make a handsome 
plant. The cutting, or rather the plant, will 
soon throw out lateral branches. 
The soil must not be kept too moist, and 
the drainage must be occasionally examined, 
for a stoppage of that would subject a slow 
growing plant to disease, and that would soon 
produce the enemies which hasten a plant's 
destruction. The plant must not be exposed, 
therefore, to cold or parching winds that 
would check it, nor must it be excluded from 
free air, lest it should be drawn. The lateral 
branches will soon be two or three inches 
long, when the ends must be also pinched out 
of them. In the due course these lateral 
branches throw out others, and such of these 
as grow in a position to help to form a handsome 
bush, may be allowed to go on ; but such as 
grow inwards or across others, or only lead 
by their positions to thicken the plant, must 
be taken away. If the plant assumes a hand- 
some bush-like form, and continues to do so as 
the young branches advance, you may use 
your own pleasure as to allowing it to bloom 
or not. If you look more to future than to 
present growth, the incipient bloom may be 
all picked off as fast as the buds show them- 
selves, and the branches will be inclined to 
ramble on directly, but at the same time that 
the buds are picked off, the ends of the 
bi'anches must be taken off, and side branches 
will be thrown out that will require some dis- 
crimination in choosing which shall grow, and 
which require to be taken away. But as the 
Hovea is very beautiful when blooming ever 
so young, it is better to let it flower the 
firstj time it produces flower buds ; and the 
instant the branches move to elongate, which 
they do while the flowers are in perfection, 
stop them by pinching out the young growth at 
once. It is well to remove the flowers as they 
decay, instead of allowing the plant to seed, 
because that really tries a plant more than 
any thing. All this time we have said no- 
thing about shifting. Let not any season or 
period rule this ; occasionally examine the 
plants by turning out one of the balls, and 
when the roots have reached the side and begin 
to run round it, change the pot before the 
fibres mat together : change only to one size 
larger, that is, from sixty to forty-eight, from 
forty-eight to thirty -two, thence to twenty -four, 
sixteen, twelve, and eight. Every time it 
blooms and the ends are taken off to make the 
plant send out fresh branches, remember to 
select those which are growing right, and rub 
off such as are likely to grow wrong ; the head 
must be kept open and handsome. The young 
wood bears the flowers, and you must have an 
eye to this in selecting the shoots that are to 
grow, and removing those which are not. The 
slowness of the growth causes the foliage to 
be closer, the flowers more abundant, the 
plant more bushy and effective. So long as it 
is carefully stopped, and pruned with as much 
care as a choice peach or nectarine tree, and 
grown in healthy but not rich soil, so long 
will the plant do the grower credit and not 
become naked. To grow these plants as a 
standard, it is almost enough to let them alone, 
for they are not disposed to send out lateral 
shoots in abundance without stopping, and 
when they do, they ought only to be rubbed 
off the lower half the stem. As the tree grows 
up the leader must be preserved, and if there 
is any thing like a fork or a strong branch 
comes out near the top, it must be instantly 
taken away. By continually removing the lower 
branches, so as to keep the stem clear half the 
length of the tree and not higher, the stem 
grows strong enough to support the head, and 
when the tree is as high as you wish it, re- 
move the lower branches, leaving only four or 
five of those nearest the top, each of which is 
to be shortened to half a dozen eyes and the 
top pinched out. When these push out their 
lateral branches, rub off all the buds that 
show inwards, and let all those grow that are 
outwards. See, however, that none cross 
each other, and as all have a tendency to grow 
upwards, tie them down so as to show out hori- 
zontally, pointing all round the tree ; as these 
are to form the head, and are wanted perma- 
nently, place them pointing outwards, in the 
direction that most equally divides the whole 
space round the head, and those above require 
quite as much adjusting as the lower ones. 
If, however, they grow in a handsome form, 
let them show their bloom, and if any branches 
have not grown enough for your taste, 
let them shoot the length before you stop 
them, but generally take out the tops of all 
the branches the instant they attempt to make 
fresh growth, and be as careful of the lateral 
shoots as possible, allowing all to grow that 
can contribute to the beauty of the head, and 
stopping all those which would merely crowd 
the centre. The branches held down hori- 
zontally will after a time be set in that 
position, and the weight of the other branches 
will assist in making them permanently so. 
By this means, and such steps as the skill of 
the gardener may suggest, as difficulties or 
occasions arise, the Hovea, either as a standard 
