THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
121 
Piping is of less importance than layering, because it 
produces a less useful 
class of plants. The 
pipings are simply 
cuttings, prepared in 
a peculiar way. They 
are taken off in the 
last week of June or 
early in July, and con¬ 
sist of short jointed 
shoots, cut off close 
below the second or 
third joint, the bot¬ 
tom pair of leaves re¬ 
moved, and the base 
of the cutting split 
about a quarter of an 
inch. They may be 
struck under hand-glasses, or in Looker’s Propagating-frames, 
but the safest way is 
to plant them close to¬ 
gether on a mild hotbed 
covered with six inches 
of light sandy soil. We 
have made thousands of 
useful plants by the 
rough method of the 
cottager, who grows 
everything he wants in 
the way of choice flowers 
by means of slips. The 
slips are made by pull¬ 
ing off the shoots; one 
or two of the lowest 
leaves are removed, and 
they are dibbed in thickly 
in some shady corner, and 
are as quickly as possi- 
piping. —A, leaves to be removed; B, cut to bIe forgotten, unless the 
the joint, and slit the base. weather happens to be 
very dry, in which case 
they have a daily sprinkle of water to keep them cool and moist. 
