August 25, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 171 
being at once inserted in them. If unheated frames or pits have 
to be depended upon, then I should recommend striking and 
wintering the cuttings in 6-inch and 8-inch pots, these being at 
the least half filled with drainage. If shelves in a small green¬ 
house are the only available positions (and on these are often 
wintered a fine stock of Pelargoniums with much less trouble and 
more certainty than in frames), then I recommend striking and 
wintering in 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch pots, according to the 
shelves. 
Any ordinary light gritty soil may be employed—such, for 
instance, as may be obtained from the surface of old hotbeds 
or seed beds, adding to two baskets of this one of sifted leaf soil 
and either sharp sand or road grit in liberal quantities. Suitable 
soil may often be obtained by sifting an old heap of soil from the 
potting bench. This being in a somewhat moist state when used, 
no water should be given the cuttings till they arc callused and 
give signs of recovery. The season being late, it is absolutely 
necessary to place the boxes or pots of cuttings in a bright sunny 
position, and, if the weather be showery, to cover with lights or a 
frame, especially in the case of the more delicate golden and 
silver-variegated varieties, and these will also invariably pass the 
winter better in pots than boxes. The cuttings may be inserted 
in boxes about 2 inches apart each way, about five in number 
in 5-inch and seven in 6-inch pots. The cuttings should always 
touch the bottom of the holes made by the dibber and be fixed 
firmly. It shoifid be borne in mind the less growth the Pelar¬ 
goniums make prior to and during the winter the better. They 
require but little water, only sufficient to keep them from 
shrivelling. Being kept in this semi-dormant state they are far 
less liable to damp off or be injured by frost, and will also break 
more freely when pinched back a few days previous to potting in 
the spring. If insufficient cuttings are struck, or if the stock of 
any choice varieties is limited, the old plants should be lifted 
before being seriously injured by frost and potted. The roots 
may be trimmed and many of the old leaves removed ; they may 
then be worked in thickly and placed in a dry position under 
glass, sufficient water only being given to keep them from shrivel¬ 
ling. Both for these and the young plants the frames especially 
should be kept as dry as possible, air being freely given on all 
favourable occasions. 
Verbenas .—In the few gardens where these are grown they 
prove more beautiful and durable than the Pelargoniums. Un¬ 
fortunately they are not, as a rule, so easily grown. The whole 
secret lies in the fact that healthy cuttings for spring propagation 
are absolutely necessary, and unless a good start is made in the 
autumn these cannot be had. Early in August is considered the 
best time to propagate the winter stock, as at this time they 
strike without heat, and are all the better accordingly. At the 
present time healthy bloomless young shoots should be selected, 
cutting these below the third joint and trimmiDg off the lowest 
pair of leaves. Prepare 5-inch or 6-inch pots for them, drain 
carefully, cover the crocks with rough soil, then half fill with 
tolerably rich soil and fill up with fine sandy soil, finishing off 
with a layer of sand. The cuttings must be dibbled-in rather 
more than an inch apart, and watered through a fine-rose pot. 
Place the pots on a slight hotbed or in gentle heat, and shade 
carefully till the cuttings are struck, when they should be hard¬ 
ened off and wintered in a cool house, or, better still, in a cold 
frame. The soil should never be allowed to become dry at the 
roots, and carefully guard from slugs, as these soon render the 
young plants worthless. Those struck early in August are some¬ 
times with advantage potted off in the autumn ; but this is 
unnecessary in the case of those struck later. From plants thus 
treated good cuttings in abundance can be had in the spring. 
Stock plants wintered near to hot-water pipes seldom produce 
healthy succulent cuttings, and these only will strike. 
Iresines. —A few pots of autumn-struck plants will, if wintered 
on shelves in an ordinary stove temperature, yield a great quantity 
of cuttings in the spring. Five-inch or six-inch pots arc suitable, 
and these should be well drained, some rough soil disposed over 
the crocks, and nearly filling the pots with light sandy soil, 
finishing off with a layer of sand. About six strong cuttings in 
the largest mentioned pots would be sufficient, watering these in ; 
place in heat and shade from bright sunshine. Cuttings of these 
and all descriptions of plants will always strike more readily 
when disposed close to the sides of the pots. Never allow the 
soil to remain dry, and fumigate with tobacco or cleanse with 
an insecticide if the foliage is infested with green fly. If cuttings 
fail to strike, pot a few old plants before they are injured by frost. 
Coleus and Alternantheras. —These require treatment very 
similar to Iresines, the Alternantheras, however, not being quite 
so easily wintered. Cuttings will strike freely in heat at the 
present time, and old plants lift readily. When potted, use pots 
as small as is consistent with the size of the plant, as they en¬ 
dure reduction of the roots ; and the Alternantheras especially are 
more easily preserved in 4-inch pots. When well established a 
warm shelf in an ordinary plant stove is the most suitable position 
to winter them. 
Heliotropes, Ageratums, and Lobelias .—These require treatment 
similar to the Verbenas. The young growths may now be struck 
in gentle heat, or plants may be taken up and potted. The 
only difficulty in this will be experienced with the Heliotrope, 
and this is also less hardy than the two others. When lifting the 
Lobelia select some of the smaller plants, as thick bushy plants 
are apt to damp off, commencing in the centre. Heliotropes and 
Ageratums will succeed through the winter in an ordinary green¬ 
house temperature, the Lobelia being best in frames.—W. J. M. 
ABOUT THE POTATO DISEASE. 
Although the Potato crop is considerably lighter this year, we 
were congratulating ourselves upon the soundness and extra good 
quality of the tubers. The American varieties are invariably 
good during a hot dry season, and on all sides among the cottagers 
we hear the wish expressed that more “ Roses ” (American Rose) 
had been planted, so good are they this season. In early gardens, 
the soil of which as a matter of course is light, the crops of this 
variety are matured and beyond injury by disease. A very dif¬ 
ferent tale, however, is told by the owners of later gardens, as 
these will lose fully one-half of their crop by disease. I antici¬ 
pated the disease after the heavy rains immediately following the 
spell of hot dry weather, and I strongly advised all Potato growers 
with whom I had any conversation on the subject to at once 
either lift the crops or draw the haulm of all varieties approach¬ 
ing maturity. “ We have tried that dodge before,” said they, 
“ and prefer to let them take their chance their idea being that 
it was of no practical value, believing it preferable to leave the 
crops in the ground, so as to be able to separate the sound from 
the unsound. I quite agreed with them that it is unpleasant work 
separating the good from the bad when in heaps, but in my con¬ 
ceit thought to prevent the disease. So I have to a certain extent, 
but not among those I valued most—viz., a large breadth of 
Myatt’s Ashleaf. Immediately after the first heavy rains I had 
the whole of the tops of these drawn, there being at the time not 
the slightest sign of disease in the comparatively green haulm. 
To my surprise this appears to be labour in vain, for quite one- 
half of the crop is diseased. 
Another large breadth, principally of second early varieties such 
as Snowflake, Triumph, Woodstock Kidney, Holborn Favourite, 
and some of Fenn’s new seedlings, were too vigorous to be drawn, 
although almost ready for lifting, and the tops of these were cut 
off near to the ground. In this instance I believe I have saved 
the crop, as I find but few diseased tubers ; at the same time, after 
my experience with Myatt’s I shall not be surprised to find many 
more in a few days. If the crops arr^ife it will be simply owing 
to the haulm being of a more woody rature, the disease not being 
so readily transmitted to the tubers. As a very practical friend 
once pointed out to me when I was endeavouring to convince him 
that the disease owed its origin to a collapse at the roots, the sole 
reason of the Magnum Bonum being a good disease-resister was 
the fact of its forming a remarkably woody stem. 
Our Myatt’s Ashleaf were, when just out of the ground, com¬ 
pletely blackened by a late frost, this resulting in the formation 
of a number of weakly growths instead of one sturdy one ; the 
consequence being a later and a lighter crop very susceptible of 
disease, and is another proof, if proof is wanted, in favour of 
carefully preparing the seed tubers. Thinly preserved, they do 
not start so early and need not be planted so early. This spring, 
it must be admitted, was unusually unfavourable to the Potato 
crops, the late frosts being most destructive. I thought I was 
rather “ smart ” this season. Next year I hope to be more so, as, 
should we have a spell of dry weather near the time of the matur¬ 
ing of the Potato crops, I shall watch the barometer closely, and 
should it give signs of rain up will come my Potato tops. If this 
prove a success, as I have no doubt it will, I shall urge all Potato 
growers to obtain a barometer and anticipate the time for Potato¬ 
lifting.— W. IGGULDEN. 
Cheiranthus Alpinus. —This is a useful spring-flowering plant 
that should be grown in all gardens whether large or small. It 
is a capital plant for the mixed border or for a front line. A 
large bed of it in spring is very pleasing. Its flowers are lemon- 
coloured and very fragrant. It only grows about 9 inches high. 
Plants that flowered last spring and were left in the same position 
have now abundance of shoots suitable for cuttings. At this 
season of the year they root readily and quickly, and should be 
