442 
THE COTTAGE GARDEN EH. 
March ( J. 
plant, and fear I must abjure it for a season. I knew 
very well it was tender, but did not know that it was so 
much more tender than others, most of which never 
looked better. My second misfortune was with a lot 
of beautiful plauts of Humect elegans, that stood in a 
cold pit well protected. Everything else escaped, but 
they were destroyed. This mishap was worse than the 
other, as I had a place for every oue of them, and the 
whole course of planting must be changed for the want 
of them. I had previously kept them in cold juts, but 
the plants had been better bardened-ofT, less luxuriant 
than they were this season, and the frost had been less 
continuous and severe. Now r , this will teach me the 
importance of getting such plants, if possible, in another 
year, by tho middle of November, into some receptaclo 
where they can bo kept airy and cool, and have a little 
fire-lieat in severe weather. This is just what 1 intended 
doing this winter, but the frost came so severe and 
sudden that I thought moving the plants would be 
more injurious than allowing them to remain well- 
covered where they were. This double loss may be a 
warning to others, and, therefore, worth mentioning. 
R. Fish. 
THE ANTIRRHINUM. 
(Continued from page 424.) 
Propagation: by Cuttings .—In last week’s Cottage 
Gardener I gave pretty full directions how to raise 
new and improved varieties of this charming flower. 
As a matter of course, whoever either raises a superior 
variety from seed, or purchases from a florist either new 
or established good varieties, is naturally anxious to 
increase such. They may, to a limited extent, be in¬ 
creased by division, but that mode is slow and uncertain ; 
whereas, cuttings strike so easily that the grower need 
not resort to any other method than that by cuttings. 
There are two ways by which cuttings may be rooted; 
first, in pots, placed in heat; and second, under a hand- 
light in a shady border. The first may be resorted to 
where the proprietor has the convenience of a hotbed 
with a frame set on it, or a regular propagating house. 
With either of these conveniences the way to proceed is 
as follows:— 
Prepare a cutting-pot (four or five-inch diameter) by 
well draining it, that is, place a large crock, or an oyster- 
shell over the hole at the bottom pi the pot, then place a 
few lesser potsherds over that, and upon them at least 
an inch of still smaller, covering the whole with a thin 
layer of moss to prevent the soil from choking up the 
drainage; the whole to occupy fully one-half of the 
depth of the pot. Upon this good drain place as much 
roughly-sifted light compost, formed with equal portions 
of loam, leaf-mould, and sandy-peat, as will fill the pot 
to within half-an-inch of the rim, give it a gentle shake 
down, but do not press it hard; then fill up the re¬ 
maining space level with the rim, with rather moist, fine 
white sand, stroking it oil level with a straight edged 
stick; then proceed to choose the cuttings. Tho best 
are the short side-shoots produced below the spike of 
flowers, or weak shoots growing from the sides of the 
plants. Avoid strong, coarse shoots, these are apt to 
damp off on account of holding so much sap. Prepare 
the cuttings by dressing off all the lower leaves, leaving 
only three or four if they are small, then give a clear 
horizontal cut at the joint. It is advisable always to 
make the cuttings very short; indeed, this remark 
applies to all cuttings of soft-wooded plants. I, this 
spring, lost the greater part of a crop of Verbena 
cuttings, by my man putting them in too long, with a 
piece of old wood at the bottom of each. The few that 
struck made roots from the upper part of the cutting. 
Let my mishap be a warning to the propagator. There 
is nothing gained by large cuttings, for if they do strike \ 
they are much longer in doing their work. If cuttings [ 
arc plentiful, then fill a pot with one kind only, placing ! 
tho label in tho centre, and the cuttings close round the 
side of the pot, just allowing room enough for the leaves 
of each cutting to have elbow room. As a general rule, 
1 have found for such small cuttings half-an-inch between 
each is ample space. My good friend, Air. Beaton, in his ! 
excellent paper on striking cuttings, mentions that he i 
accidentally found out that cuttings do better if put in i 
before the sand is wetted. I agree with him on that 
point, having practised it for some time, that is, lor soft- 
wooded plants only. Such things as Heaths and 
Epacris require the sand made fine, by watering, before 
inserting the cuttings of such hard-wooded plants. 
To return to the Antirrhinum cuttings. When cuttings 
are scarce, and not sufficient to fill the pot, then insert a 
label between the varieties, so as to distinguish 
them at the time of potting them off! Proceed till all 
intended to be propagated are put in, and then give 
them a good watering, and as soon as the leaves are dry 
place them in the frame, or in the propagating-house. 
Shade diligently and effectually from the sun, and keep 
the sand moderately moist. They will soon bear the 
sun’s rays for an hour or two in the morning and after¬ 
noon, aud with this care and attention every cutting 
ought be rooted in a fortnight or three weeks. The 
season for putting in these cuttings may be extended 
from April to August, but the best time is about the 
middle of July, because then the plants will give a good 
supply of cuttings, and they will have time to get well 
established before the winter. 
Immediately they have emitted roots they should be 
potted off singly into three-inch pots, in the same 
compost. Nip off the tops as soon as they are potted, 
to cause them to make bushy plants. Place them, when 
potted, in a cold frame, shading them from the sun till 
fresh roots are made ; then give air moderately at first, 
and more freely as they can bear it; they will then be 
ready to plant out in the blooming-bed, or, if very much 
valued, they may be kept in the pots in a cold pit till 
spring. The method of striking them under hand-lights 
is simple and easy:—Prepare the border for them (be¬ 
hind a low north wall) in the same manner as described 
for the pots, with the exception of the drainage, unless 
the border is wet, then it will be advisable to drain it 
also. Raise the border two or three inches above the 
ordinary level; make the sand smooth, and place the 
hand-lights upon it, to make a mark to show where the 
cuttings are to be planted; make the cuttings exactly in 
the same way as described above for those in pot; then, 
with a small stick, insert the cuttings in rows, within 
the space marked by the edges of the hand-light, and 
when all are planted, give a gentle watering, leaving the ! 
hand-lights off till the leaves are dry ; then place them I 
over the cuttings, and they will need no more care till 
evident signs of growth take place, when tho hand- 
lights should be lifted off for two or three hours every 
morning, and, finally, remove them altogether, when 
the cuttings no longer flag with tho exposure. In a 
month’s time they may be transplanted carefully where 
they are to flower. This hand-light method should be 
put in operation as soon as ever sufficient cuttings can 
be obtained, because they do not root so quickly, though 
surely, as those in pots in heat. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
STOVE FERNS. 
(Continued from page 404.) 
Geniophlerium sepultum (Covered).—A very re¬ 
markable South American Fern, of great beauty, aud 
very rare. The fronds are lance-shaped and pinnate, 
