March 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
44L 
with water, as that very likely would ensure rottenness 
and death. 
Acacia. —Of this large genus, perhaps few are superior 
to the old Armala, and the newer Grandis. The former 
will want a good supply of w’ater now, and weak 
manure-water will bring its golden llowcrs out inline 
perleetion. Old i)lants are sometimes seized upon by a 
white scale, and in such a case, cutting it well down, 
and scrubbing it with soap-and-water, and putting the 
l)lant in a warmish place to make fresh growth, are the 
best remedies; or a young ])lant may be substituted. 
Grandis will now he showing its myriads of buds, and 
it will like a little manure-water by-and-by, but not 
strong. One bandful of soot and half-a-handful of 
lime would be strong enough for si.v gallons. One 
ounce of guano would do for four gallons. Very strong 
drinks are as bad for plants as animals Eirm side- 
shoots, about three inches long, taken off in May, cut to 
a joint, one-third of the leaves removed, and then 
inserted in silver sand under a bell-glass, will soon 
make young plants. 
Azalea imlica. —These are some of the most useful of 
our winter and spring plants. The best of ours will 
soon be over, just because we should have no one to 
look at them in ilay. When once induced to bloom 
early they will come early again with little trouble. 
Our treatment noiv of these plants must be regulated by 
the state they are in, and what we expect from them. 
If in bloom, or showing bloom, an average night tem¬ 
perature of 45° will be requisite, with Irom 10° to 15° 
rise from sunshine. Those we wish to bloom in April 
and May should have more air, and will want little lire 
heat if the temperature does not fall at night below 4(1°. 
Those we wdsh to retard until Juno should not only 
have abundance of air, but we must contrive a situation 
for them on a north aspect, wdierc they can be defended 
from wind, sun, and rain, by the beginning of May. 
The growing and flowering plants will require most 
waiter, and very weak liquid-manure sbould at times bo 
given them. See that the water is soft, and a few 
degrees warmer than tlic house temperature. Water in 
the forenoon. Avoid allowing the plants to get dry, or 
they will shed their leaves. Jn the case of latc-llovvering 
plants, even when water at the roots is not necessary, a 
syringe over the foliage, in a sunny day, will do them 
good. Elarly-iiow’ering plants will bo pushing their 
shoots, if a few should come strong aud prematurely, 
as respects the general crop, pinch out the top when 
an inch-and-a-half or two inches in length, and you will 
got tw'o or three of more moderate growth instead. 
Azaleas may be easily kept in all these different con¬ 
ditions in one moderate-sized house, if arranged in 
groups in different places, so that the quantity of air 
and boat may be varied. 
Fropayation of Azalea indica : by Seals. —These 
may now be sown on the surface of pans, well drained, 
on sandy peat, and idaced in a moist temperature 
of from 55° to 05°. The seeds should just be dusted 
over with a very little line sandy peat; aud if the 
])ans were well soaked previously, aud allowed to 
drain before sowing, and then a S(piare of glass 
put over the pan, aud covered with paper, little 
water will be wanted until the young plants appear. 
They must then be placed near the glass, and hardened 
off by degrees. By CulLinys. —The time to do this will 
depend upon the time you grow and bloom, at least 
with most sorts. All may be thus propagated. When 
the young shoots are from two to two-and-a-balf inches 
long is the best time. Cut them across with a heel, or 
just where the old and young growth meet. The base 
of the cutting will thus ho Jirntish. Remove the lower 
leaves for about one-third of the length, and insert in 
silver sand, above sandy peat, the rest of the jjot, for 
fully three fourths of its dei)tb, being filled with drainage. 
Water, and, when dry, cover with a bell-glass; shade, 
aud place in a temperature of from 55° to 65°. Edge 
the glasses after a few days on one side at night—say 
for a quartcr-of-an-iuch at first—and place it firm on in 
the morning. Water when necessary. When rooted, 
give more air by degrees, until they will stand in a 
greenhouse or cold pit. By Grafliny. —This is done 
chiefly with weakly-growing and tender and scarce 
kinds. The stocks generally used are those of the white 
Indica, and the purple Fhccnicea. The stocks may be 
used when strong enough for the knife, though little 
would be gained by grafting before they w'ere at least 
two years old. Many methods are adopted by different 
practitioners, but we cannot describe them to-day, and 
there may be less necessity, as the principle is the same, i 
the great point being to effect a junction between the 
inner barks of the scion and the stock. Eor bush 
plants, the junction should take place as near the collar 
of the plant as iiossible. A small piece of wood and 
bark is there removed from the stock, and an equal 
])ortion from the scion—so that the inner bark on one 
side, at least, or both if possible, will fit, when they 
may be tied together with worsted or bass matting. 
If there should be an horizontal cut at the base of 
the stock, but not more than one-lialf or one-third 
across, or even a notcli for the recejHion of the scion, 
it will be held firmer, and the union afterwards will bo 
less perceived. A few other desirables may be men¬ 
tioned : 1st, The stock should be in advance of the scion 
in growing power. 2nd, The scion should be, for small 
plants at least, a well-rijiened piece of last year’s wood, 
chosen bekore the growth for the present year has com¬ 
menced. The size must depend upon what you can i 
get—-one bud would do, two would be better; one at the 
base of the scion, the other near its point; but a piece ; 
from two to three inches in length would be better still. , 
3rd, A nice sweet hotbed, of from 55° to Ob'-', will be ne¬ 
cessary in which to place the plants, and so as you can 
keep them close and shaded. You may grow anything 
else in your bed, and give air, provided your grafted 
]dants can be kept close and shaded under a hand-light. 
4th. After a few days the extra heat will cause the to]) 
of your stock to grow freely, aud then you may begin lo 
jiinch the points of the most vigorous shoots. As the 
scion shows signs of growth, the snubbing of the top 
of the stock must bo persevered in, until ultimately it 
is taken clean olf above the scion, and that forms the 
plant. By that time it will have been hardened off by 
degrees. 5th. By a similar process you may cover the 
whole of a large plant that does not please you with 
scions of one or of many kinds. You could not, how¬ 
ever, easily get such a plant into a hot-bed, and even a 
hothouse would be I’ather open for it; but after watering 
the parent plant you might lay it down on the bed, ami 
cover the grafted parts with moss. I have seen the 
same thing done in a vinery with large plants ; but the 
])lants were laid down, a shade secured for them, and a 
little damp moss kept iqion the grafted parts. ^ 
Insects.—Tho Green-Ely is easily managed with a puff , 
of tobacco smoke. Thrip, when it does come, is the bane | 
of tlio Azalea grower. Smoke from shag tobacco, ])erse- 
vered in, may kill it. The best remedy is a close moist 
atmosphere at growing time, and where there are water- 
pipes and water-plate, you can raise sulphur exhalations. 
Another help is sulphur-water, but only half as strong as 
recommended for Yincs last season. Another is laurel- 
water, made by bruising half-a-gallon of laurel-leaves, 
pouring water almost at boiling pointover them, allowing 
it to draw like tea; then, when cool, pouring olf the clear, 
and adding water to make live gallons, or rather better. 
When using both these last the ]ilant should be laid in 
a reclining position, so that the mixture does not go 
into the soil; and the liquid should be forcibly thrown 
on the lower side of the leaves by the syringe. Replace 
