208 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ September, 
We have these Daphnes grafted upon various stocks, one of them being the 
Mezereon (D. Mezereum\ a deciduous species, upon which it is found to grow very 
compactly and to flower freely; in fact, some of our most extensive propagators 
of this class of plants believe that D. indica alha flowers best upon this stock. 
Others graft them upon D. Laureola and D. pontica, both of which are well- 
known free-growing plants, and by no means particular as to soil, since we find 
them growing luxuriantly upon a healthy texture of peat, as well as upon simple 
loams. As these ingredients vary so materially in texture, I should be right in 
recommending a compost of two parts of fibrous sandy loam to one of fibrous 
peat, adding sand to insure porosity. Clean pots and thorough 'drainage 
are important considerations, and so is the circumstance of potting quite firmly, 
so as to insure the soil keeping healthy. If the compost about the roots is at 
any time allowed to become sodden, the plant must be shaken out and repotted. 
This soil will do equally well for plants established upon their own roots, on 
which I find them to grow quite as freely as when grafted. They are more 
quickly got up in private places by means of cuttings, as seed is two years in 
vegetating, and should be kept for twelve months in sand previously to its being 
sown. Firm, half-ripened wood will root freely if inserted in light soil in 
.autumn; and plants thus obtained must be potted on as they attain strength. 
Early in the season, or so soon as the plants show signs of breaking, they 
must be examined and repotted, using pots rather small in proportion to the 
roots, as they must by no means be at any time over-potted. Train them into 
form, using the knife sparingly, as they do not improve by being much pruned. 
Place them near to the glass in a mild, genial heat of from 50° to 55°, and 
frequently syringe them, watering carefully at the root, until they become 
established. If all goes well, they will soon begin to make free growth, and then 
the points of the shoots should be pinched out, which will tend to furnish the 
plant more fully. As soon as they again show signs of breaking, shift them into 
larger pots, if necessary, and encourage fresh growth. 
After this stage, stopping, excepting in the case of small-sized plants, must 
be discontinued ; and as they attain full growth, the thorough maturation of the 
wood must be promoted by fully exposing them in a thoroughly ventilated 
structure, for without the wood is well ripened, the flowering will not be satis¬ 
factory. As the wood becomes consolidated, they will be benefited by full 
exposure for a short time. 
It is my opinion that this plant sustains the greatest injury after blooming 
by being thrust on one side, and overlooked until it has made a portion of its 
growth in a weak, sickly state—at least, I have often seen the plant in this 
neglected condition, which should be guarded against, especially on account of 
its disposition to start early into growth. The cultivation of these Daphnes is so 
simple, and their blossoms so delightfully sweet, that it surprises one to find how 
seldom they are to be seen satisfactorily grown.— Geo. Westland, Witley 
Court. 
