70 
Rustic Adornments. 
and budding, so that, if necessary, he can increase the commoner kinds of 
plants that are requisite to adorn the house, the conservatory and the garden 
at the present day. We might have gone further and included grafting as an 
indispensable mode of propagation, but as the scope of this work scarcely 
embraces the section of horticulture to which this art is peculiarly applicable, 
we pass it by. The various methods that we purpose to describe will be 
amply sufficient to meet all ordinary requirements, and we hope to set forth 
the details in such clear and terse language as will convey to the inexperienced 
a lucid idea of the manner in which they should be carried out. 
Aids to Propagation. —Our first business, before we go into the question 
of the various modes of increasing plants, is to describe the appliances and 
apparatus necessary for the purpose. First and foremost among these 
Fig. i. 
come pots, pans, and boxes. For seed-sowing, the most suitable sizes are 
those 3 in., 42 in., and 6 in. in diameter; the smallest being adapted for 
large seeds, such as cucumber and castor oil, the others for smaller seeds. 
Thimble-pots (2 in. in diameter) are specially suited for small single cuttings ; 
and thumbs (2|- in.) for single cuttings of a larger size. Where several 
cuttings may be conveniently inserted together, 3 in., 4£ in., and 6 in. sizes 
may be used. Larger sizes than these are unsuitable for seed or cuttings 
Pans are largely used for both purposes; they are circular, square, and oblong 
in shape, and three to six inches in depth. The bottoms are usually per¬ 
forated to permit the escape of superfluous water, and allow the heat to have 
free access to the soil. If not perforated, holes should be made in them 
before they are used. There is another kind of pan (Fig 1), made slightly 
. deeper at the back than the front, and furnished with a groove inside the 
1 im for receiving a pane of glass, which can be moved up and down at will. 
