ON THE PROPAGATION OF CONIPERa). 
the Ticinity of the latter city. Thus, as gromng on walls and rocky cliffs and precipices, and at least 
as indigenous to Egypt and Palestine, if not to the -svliole of the intennediate district in the which the 
Israelites wandered, the Caper plant meets all the requirements of the sacred texts. 
2. As to its propeiiies and habit. — The Caper plant possesses, or, at least, has always heen held to 
possess, detergent properties. PKny especially mentions its application as a medicament in the treat- 
ment of a skin disorder aUied to leprosy, which, it is not a little remarkable, is the disease for the 
ceremonies of purification fi-om which the sacred esof was directed to he employed by the Israelites. 
It was, probably, in allusion to its real or asserted influence upon diseases of this nature, that its cere- 
monial use was ordained. 
The habit of the plant is to produce long trailing stems of sufficient length and substance to be used 
as a " reed," or stick, for the elevation of the sponge, as described in the events of the cnicifixion. 
Such a stick the old Caper plants, growing in the congenial climate of Palestine, would be able to 
supply; and its prickly nature would, moreover, the better fit it for the purpose of having the sponge 
affixed. It is fiu-ther suggested, that as different parts of the Caper plant were anciently preserved in 
vinegar, this may account for the presence of the vessel of vinegar in which the sponge was dipped : — 
" Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon 
hyssop," or, as some read, " fixed it upon a hyssop stalk ;" for the Caper plant not only grew wild 
then, as now, on the rocks and walls of Jerusalem, bat its flower-buds seem, fi-om the eai'Uest times, 
to have been much valued, and employed as a condiment. This same use — that of its unexpanded buds 
steeped in vinegar — ^is that by which the Caper plant is best known in our own times. 
The Caper plant is supposed to be figuratively alluded to in the passage — " the Ahnond tree shall 
flourish, and desire shall fail ?" (Eccles. xii., 5) — ^words explained to be written of the closing periods of 
man's life. On this, Dr. Royle remai'ks, " The Caper plant, like most of its tiibe, is conspicuous for its 
long flower-stalks, which are erect when the plant is in flower and the fiiiit young, but which bend and 
hang down as the fi'uit ripens. As the flowering of the Almond has been supposed to refer to the whiten- 
ing of the hail', so the drooping of the ripe Iruit of a plant, which is conspicuous on the old walls of 
buildings, and of tombs, may be supposed to typify the hanging down the head, before ' man goeth to 
his long home,' " and " the mourners go about the sti'eets." — ^I. 
If 
ON THE PROPAGATION OF CONIFERS. 
By M. COHRTrN, or Bordeaux. 
BURING the last few years, Coniferae have become somewhat popular among gardeners and ama- 
teui's, and it will, doubtless, be interesting to give a short description of the mode of propagating 
some of the more ornamental kinds, especially those which are often grown in pots or tubs, as orna- 
mental objects for the conservatory or the ten'ace garden. 
The modes of propagation here described, are those practised by an experienced gardener who has 
been for a long time exclusively occupied in the culture of this beautiful tribe of plants. It is well 
known among practical men, especially by propagators, that Coniferas are not readily reai-ed fi-om cut- 
tings, and that other means, such as the different processes of grafting, axe much more successfully 
employed. It is not the less true that different species of Coniferse requii-e to be grafted by different 
methods. Many species cannot be propagated by cuttings at all, owing, no doubt, to their resinous 
nature. Those who cultivate Coniferse, and desire to propagate them extensively, should keep at hand 
a number of the stocks best suited to the different species. The following sorts are recommended for 
this purpose ; — Araucaria imbricata ; the different species of Pinus ; Thuja orientalis, and occidentalis ; 
Jimiperus vii-giniana : Podocai-pus elongatus ; Taxus ; Cupressus ; Taxodium distichum ; and Dacrydium 
spicatum, or Podocai'pus spicatus. 
"What is called side-grafting, is the mode most successfully adopted with many kinds that are 
required to be quickly grown into strong and vigorous plants. The best time for performing the ope- 
ration, is in the months of March and August. The stocks used ought not to be stronger than a com- 
mon quill. "Worsted or woollen thi-ead is found to be the best tying material that can be used. As 
soon as the plants are grafted, they must be placed near the glass of a propagating house, in an 
inclined position, so as to impede the oii'ciilation of the sap to the top of the stock, and to facilitate the 
adhesion of the graft. The management must be the same as that given to grafted plants in general ; 
but care should be taken not to allow them to become too moist. They must also be fi'equently cleaned, 
and the stock must not be cut down before the graft has grown somewhat sti-ong and vigorous. 
The best time for taking cuttings is towards the latter part of the summer, and it is necessary to 
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