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THE FUCHSIA 
seedling. Prince Albert and the British 
Queen have their admirers, and so has the 
Elton, which comes in later with Turner's ; 
late therefore as it is to get runners, get a few 
of either of them that you have not got. 
Pruning Trees. — In some seasons there 
are trees that can be pruned this month, but 
it is better deferred till October ; the leaf 
should have fallen before anything violent is 
done with the knife. 
Grafting. — Those who are inclined to try 
autumnal grafting may do it at the end of the 
present month, but we know of no object to 
be gained by it, unless it be this ; if we can 
get scions of choice things now, and cannot 
get them in spring, it is worth trying, but the 
tree cannot be forwarder, or in better order, 
than it would be with spring grafting, and, 
unless it were to secure sorts that could not 
be got in spring, we should never think of it. 
Vines. — Stop all the long shoots at the 
beginning of the month, it will strengthen the 
remaining portion. Look well to the grapes, 
and if any one be damaged by the wasps, cut it 
out, for it only affects others, and would cause 
the whole bunch to be sacrificed. Still thin 
out all the small grapes from those out of 
doors and unripe, leaving none but the best 
to ripen. 
THE FUCHSIA — ITS HABIT AND CULTURE- 
Whatever may be said of the flowers of 
the Fuchsia, the habit of the different varieties 
affords quite as great a contrast as the bloom ; 
and the great mistake which the cultivators 
have made, according to our notions, is in 
cultivating them all alike. Fuchsia fulgens 
and corymbiflora, and all the varieties of 
their habit, are rank-growing plants, as coarse 
pretty nearly as a Dock, and flowering in 
bunches at the ends of all the shoots. To 
grow these plants as they naturally push, is 
to produce a large loose ugly plant, with 
patches of bloom here and there, at the ends 
of the coarse and vigorous shoots, and we can 
hardly conceive anything in worse taste; where- 
as the only truly effective mode of cultivating 
them is as standards, allowing the strong 
shoot to grow as hard as it likes, until it is as 
tall as you please, simply pinching out the 
lower shoots, and leaving only the few at top 
to grow. The lower ones from these to be 
still removed, as new ones form above them. 
"When your plant has made as long a stem as 
you wish, pinch off the top, and encourage the 
side branches. When these side branches, of 
which there may be half a dozen, grow pretty 
strong, take the ends off them also, and en- 
courage side or lateral branches out of them. 
If these make a pretty fair sized head, let 
them grow on till they flower, and the bloom 
will form pendulous tassels, seen with great 
effect under the head, and for a time they 
make a very imposing appearance. The bloom 
docs not come in sufficient quantity to make a 
bush look well, without the whole thing being 
confused by the number of branches ; for 
being naturally pendulous, they have every 
appearance of coarseness. There is, however, 
at the onset with all this class of Fuchsias, — 
(that is to say, those which bloom at the end of 
the branches ; and, indeed, in the original species, 
as they are called, Corymbiflora and Fulgens,) 
— a total absence of one of the most essential 
properties — contrast between the sepals and 
corolla, and in good collections they are both 
excluded, except where seedlings are raised, 
and where, in too many instances, these very 
two spoil all the offspring. Now, the reverse 
occurs with some of the old ones. Globosa, 
and its varieties, are for the most part well 
constructed, though they could be ten times 
more valuable if the sepals reflexed; never- 
theless, there are qualities which make them 
still favourites. The old Globosa is a dwarf 
plant, and grows well, and looks well as a 
bush, because the blooms come out all along 
the branches at the base of the leaves, and 
several at the base of each. This plant rarely 
wants anything but potting in good loam, de- 
cayed dung, and leaf mould in equal portions, 
and they will grow without trouble, flowering 
very small, and looking very handsome, be- 
cause they grow naturally bushy; and the same 
may be said of some of the Globosa varieties, 
the main difference being in the size of the 
flowers and foliage, and more robust growth: 
the only real pruning they ever require being 
the stopping of any branch that is growing too 
vigorous for the rest of the plant, for laterals 
are thrown out in abundance without any 
check being given to the main stem. Indeed, 
there can hardly be said to be a main stem, so 
that there is no difficulty whatever in growing 
this class of Fuchsia. The general rule of 
shifting from one sized pot to another, is when 
the roots have reached the sides and began to 
work round them. Some plants are awkward 
in habit, and require a good deal of pains and 
some management. Venus victrix, for in- 
stance, has straight upright shoots, and will of 
itself grow very ugly ; therefore, as soon as 
you have struck a cutting, you must pinch off 
the top so as to leave only two pair of leaves 
on it. These will throw out branches, and as 
soon as you can have two pair of leaves on 
each, pinch off the ends, to encourage further 
laterals from them, and continue this system 
until you find you have a nice bushy plant ; 
all shoots that grow outwards may then be al- 
lowed to progress, while all that shoot directly 
upwards must be stopped at their third joint. 
The greatest difficulty with this plant is to 
