February 28.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
in the first week of April, and a third about the 20th 
of May. Intermediate Stocks, to flower from the mid¬ 
dle of J uly, 1 sow now in peat, and harden them off as 
soon as they are well up. But I shall go on with 
both kinds of propagation for along while yet; mean¬ 
time, I should like to hear what difficulties you have 
met with—if you ever attempted propagation, and 
the exact convenience you possess to strike cuttings, 
and then I can make my notes accordingly. Never 
mind about troubling us, only write briefly, and to 
the point, D. Beaton. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
Cuttings. —Owing to the necessity of having arti¬ 
cles written somewhat in advance of the day of pub¬ 
lication, it will sometimes happen, that those whose 
departments come pretty near each other may either, 
during the same week or in the one immediately 
following, quite unintentionally treat upon the same 
subject. This is of little consequence, so far as the 
writers are concerned; not one of whom would care 
a bit if a neighbour was to take a random shot even 
in one of his choicest preserves—knowing full well 
that he was at liberty to reciprocate the favour when¬ 
ever he thought proper. But some readers might 
fancy it to be no privilege to have much the same 
identical ideas dished-up for two successive weeks; 
the difference consisting more in the garnishing and 
fittings than in the solid materials; while others, 
and perhaps not the most foolish class of the two, 
would be delighted to find that, with a little differ¬ 
ence in the mode of getting up, the chief essentials 
were so much alike. After writing the article upon 
pi'opagating by cuttings, I had some conversation 
with a young lady who, acting, no doubt, upon the 
fact that the sisterhood is a privileged class with the 
Knights of the Blue Apron, pretty well turned my 
cranium inside out with her questions upon this 
subject. Her inquiries chiefly having reference to the 
mode in which cuttings ought to be made—whether 
it was necessary always to cut to a node or joint? 
the processes that took place before roots were emit¬ 
ted ? the difference, if any, between cuttings inserted 
in a deciduous state and those with leaves on them ? 
how the base of the cutting would rot, while roots 
would be protruded, at times, from the whole of the 
stem above the soil ? how, in the case of cuttings cut 
at both ends, either end would form roots ? &c.; all 
of which convinced me, that at the risk of being 
considered rather (jreen by the grey beards of wisdom, 
we must at times combine philosophy and simplicity, 
if we would wish both to obtain and retain the sym¬ 
pathies of friends who are zealous, but young in 
gardening. Some of these matters I thought of no¬ 
ticing more in detail, when The Cottage Gardener 
for the 14th arrived, containing Mr. Beaton’s article, 
which supplied several of my omissions; and judg 
ing it would not be prudent to administer an over¬ 
dose, even of a good thing, I have, among other 
matters competing for notice, given the preference 
to the inquiries of a correspondent respecting the 
management of Gesnera zebrina, Gesnera elongata, 
and Begonia argyrostigma, chiefly because the treat¬ 
ment necessary for the first-named has been fre¬ 
quently asked, while it is so accommodating that 
those possessing a little artificial heat may have it 
either in stove, greenhouse, or window. 
Gesnera Zebrina. —Of all the beauties of this 
family the present species, a native of Brazil, may 
289 
well be considered the gem; not so much on account 
of its scarlet, yellowish flowers as owing to the Zebra¬ 
like markings and shadings of its thick, soft, velvety 
leaves. The obtaining of fine flower spikes is a. 
matter ot importance; the size and vivid colouring 
of the leaves are more important still. No wonder 
though ladies look on them with admiration, blended 
at times with a spice of envy, that neither silk nor 
velvet can bo found to match them. Allow your 
plants to have small, curled, unhealthy leaves, and the 
less that is said or seen of them the better. The 
maintaining healthy high-coloured leaves is, there¬ 
fore, the principal thing to be considered in their cul¬ 
tivation, and that is just the thing to secure fine 
spikes of bloom. 
Our correspondent is quite right, in allowing the 
roots after they have done flowering to remain in a 
state of rest. In that repose they ought to continue 
for several months before being excited into growth. 
The pots in which they grew may be turned on their 
broadsides, and any place with a temperature not 
much below 45° will do for storing them. They 
therefore take up no room, unless when growing. 
When you wish to start them, they like a tempera¬ 
ture of about 00° ; and you may either water the pot 
in which they formerly grew, or break the ball care¬ 
fully and take out the scaly tubers, and place them 
in light soil in shallow pans, there to receive moisture 
and heat, until they spring, when they may be potted. 
In general, one good pot of last year will furnish you 
with tubers for half-a-dozen this season. As they 
increase so freely by underground stems or tubers, it 
is hardly worth while resorting to other means, 
though they propagate freely by leaves. Where suc- 
cessional crops of them are desirable, such as where 
there is a plant stove, the first of our year should be 
brought in as the first for the following. When you 
have only a window or greenhouse to place them in, 
one crop will generally be enough—one that will pro¬ 
duce its flowers in summer and autumn. March and 
April are good times for starting plants for such a 
purpose ; for flowering in autumn and winter in the 
stove, May and June will be time enough. 
We have spoken of 00° for starting them, though 
less would do; and in summer, especially when sub¬ 
jected to stove treatment, they will, when starting 
and growing, be exposed to a much higher tempera¬ 
ture without injury. In speaking, therefore, of their 
growth in a stove, the matters referred to will suit 
them in any other position. 
First. Soil. —Feat earth, as the staple, with a fourth- 
part of equal proportions of the following:—turfy 
loam, leaf-mould, silver sand, charcoal, and a little 
dried cow-dung, over a plentiful drainage. 
Second. Pots and potting. —We have placed a single 
tuber in a five-inch pot, and obtained from that a 
good spike of flowers; have placed a tuber in a four- 
inch pot, shifted again into one of eight inches, and 
obtained a splendid main spike, with eight or ten 
spikelets; or, have placed six or nine tubers in a 
nine or 12-inch pot, or in a pan half the depth of a 
pot, and thus obtained a beautiful mass. 
Third. Watering. —This should be done with care, 
until the roots begin to occupy the soil; then libe¬ 
rally, when the flower-stalks appear ; weak manure- 
water several times then will assist them, and not 
injure the foliage. 
Fourth. Steaming. —Avoid as much as possible. 
Fifth. Syringing. —Never think of, if you can avoid 
it. 
Sixth. Light. —Let the plants be fully exposed, but 
yet at such a distance from the glass, that the rays of 
