164 
lime for manuring his land in Ross-shire, was 3Iajor Mackenzie, 
of Fodclerty, and many of his neighbours shook their heads in 
wonderment and pity at the adoption of such a scheme for 
“ burning up the land.” The worthy major, however, tri- 
umphed over all the unbelievers of the district, and has lived to 
see the universal adoption of lime, as well as another potent 
auxilliary of the soil, bone dust. May we not hope for a simi- 
lar result as to the application of lime in our forest plantations ? 
With respect to quality of soil, we need only remark that, where- 
ever ferns grow strong and abundantly, oaks will thrive and 
prosper ; and it is on a soil of this description that lime has 
been found to answer in the nurture of plants. 
170 Grafting Ipomieas. A mode of grafting Ipomoeas, commu- 
nicated by Mr. D. Beaton, to the Gardener’s Magazine, (vol. 15, 
p. 161 ) is worthy of notice ; not alone for its value in describing 
an easy mode of propagating this genus, but from its explana- 
tion of a principle, which is known to be applicable to many 
others. Mr. Beaton observes “ I practise grafting Ipomoeas, 
in order to get plants with as little trouble as possible of Ipo- 
moea Horsfalliae, which does not strike roots so readily as some 
others of this graceful family from cuttings, and laying is not 
always convenient in ornamental plant stoves. The process 
of grafting is quite simple, and, to a person versed in the sub- 
ject, it would be quite sufficient to say that cuttings of Ipomoea 
Horsfalliae were grafted on the spare tubers of Ipomoea insignis, 
or on those of any other species in that section ; but to the 
amateur it may be useful to state, that when the shoots of Ipo- 
moea Horsfalliae begin to grow in the spring, and when the eye 
is just ready to push in a young shoot half an inch long, is the 
best time for this operation. Then cut the scions with two 
eyes, the upper one to form the leading shoot, and the lower 
one to help the union with the tuber; cut the scion or shoot 
just below the joint, and cut out a slice an inch long on the 
opposite side to the eye. Then take a young tuber, and cut 
away a slice to correspond with your graft; fit them close 
together, and tie them tight with a piece of matting ; pot the 
tuber in as small a pot as you can get it into, using very light 
soil ; set the pot into a hot frame, or merely into the stove, and 
in a few days the union will be complete, and your plant will 
go on just the same as if it were on its own roots from the first. 
