1871. ] 
ON GRAFTING PELARGONIUMS. 
171 
naked for a foot of its length : then the flowers come out all round the stalk 
upon short footstalks, which turn downwards, and each sustain one large flower. 
Above these rises a spreading tuft of green leaves, which are erect, the whole 
giving the plant a striking appearance. 
They may be propagated by seeds or offsets from the root, the latter being 
the method generally adopted in this country. The roots may remain the year 
round in the soil, and need only be transplanted every three or four years. When 
planted in mixed borders, they should not be planted too near to other flowers. 
They should be planted six inches deep at least, especially the stronger roots. They 
delight in a light soil, not too wet, nor very full of dung. When planted in 
mixed borders, they should always be kept properly labelled, otherwise the roots 
may be injured when the borders are being dug and cleaned.—M. Saul, Stourton. 
ON GRAFTING PELARGONIUMS. 
FTER reading Mr. Record’s article on Standard Pelargoniums at page 133, 
I am induced to remark that Mrs. Pollock, Lady Cullum, and others of the 
Golden Variegated Zonal section of Pelargoniums make beautiful heads 
c> when grafted on stocks of strong, free-growing plain or zonal varieties. 
Those raised from seed saved from good growers make excellent stocks, as they 
are both strong and straight. For grafts I select medium-sized, somewhat matured 
shoots, and after cutting off the head of the stock to the height required, and 
removing only just as much foliage as may be necessary, I whip-graft them, tying 
them firmly with bast, and claying them over in the regular way. I then place 
them in a shady, warm, and somewhat close position, where they hardly feel the 
check, and as soon as the grafts make visible progress, I gradually denude the 
stock of its foliage, so as to give the grafts a greater supply of nourishment. 
By grafting in the autumn and keeping the plants steadily growing through 
the winter in a warm, light house, stopping and shifting them into larger pots as 
they require it, I have had plants from 18 in. to 2 ft. through during the follow¬ 
ing summer. Buds inserted as in rose-budding will grow, but grafting commends 
itself as the surest and most expeditious method. These remarks apply with 
•equal force in the case of dwarfs, delicate varieties, or those difficult to strike. 
Such as these may be worked just above the soil on well-rooted plants of common 
varieties, and are thus increased more readily than on their own roots. Another 
advantage this method possesses is that it can be successfully employed early and 
late in the season, when an attempt to strike cuttings usually proves a failure 
except with those who have the best appliances. As before stated, care must be 
taken to use only the firm shoots for grafts; those made either early or late are 
generally too soft and pulpy, and are therefore the more liable to rot off before 
they effect a union. 
The Ivy-leaved sorts, both green and variegated, worked on tall stems are 
particularly handsome, and well repay the time and trouble bestowed on them. 
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