244 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[July 17. 
them. The size of the pots to be used for this purpose 
should be what are called 48s, measuring about four 
inches and a half in diameter. Let them either be quite 
new, or, if old, let them be thoroughly washed clean. 
Drain them effectually, and place either some moss or 
some rough siftings upon the drainage; then fill the 
pots with light, rich compost to within an inch of the 
top; fill the remainder with pure silver sand, give a little 
gentle watering to make it firm; let it stand a few 
minutes to dry, and then put in the cuttings, first smooth¬ 
ing the bottom of each with a sharp knife. Plant them 
round the edge of the pot, putting them so as to let the 
leaves point inwards. Remember, the cuttings cannot 
be too short. If the stems are just inserted within the 
sand, and the leaf or leaves are left out of it, they will 
strike root all the sooner. When the pot is planted 
with cuttings, fill up the holes the planting-stick has 
made with some dry, fine sand; then give a gentle 
watering with the finest rose watering-pot, and let them 
stand till the leaves and the surface of the sand has 
become moderately dry, then place them either in a 
gentle hotbed, or under hand-glasses, in heat; give them 
a change of air by tilting the lights of the frame upon 
the hotbed every morning, or by lifting off the hand- 
lights every morning early for an hour; shade them well 
from the bright sunshine during the middle of the day 
until roots are perceived to be formed; lose no time, as 
soon as that takes place, in potting them off into 21-inch 
pots. If all points of shading, watering, and giving air, 
have been duly attended to, roots will be formed in 
fifteen or sixteen days from the time of putting in the 
cutting. After the plants are potted off, replace them 
where they came from for a week or ten days, keep¬ 
ing them pretty close, and shaded from the sun; give 
very moderate waterings, only just sufficient to keep 
them fresh and growing. When more roots begin to 
show themselves, give more air and less shade, till they 
are enabled to bear the full light of the sun; they may 
then be considered and treated as established plants. 
Summer Culture. —The plants struck in the spring 
make the finest specimens for exhibition in July. No 
plant can be considered a fine specimen unless it be at 
least four feet high, with numerous side branches; and, 
by judicious culture, this may be accomplished easily 
enough the first year. We have now, at Pine-Apple- 
Place, a house CO feet long nearly filled with such 
plants that were all cuttings this spring, and there are, 
no doubt, many such plants raised at the same time in 
other establishments. “But how is this to be done? 
J you have every convenience, and no doubt clever men 
! to manage them.” We will try to describe how it is 
done, and hope to be able to show that no great skill 
is necessary, or much convenience required. The two 
grand points to succeed well in growing fuchsias for 
exhibition are, constant attention and room to grow 
them. When the young plants have filled their pots 
with roots, shift them immediately into 5-inch pots, in a 
compost of light loam and leaf-mould, in equal parts, 
l adding a due portion of sand to keep it open; this will 
be rich enough for the first two shifts. Place them in a 
1 house heated to 55° by day and 50° by night; let them 
! stand pretty close to the glass to cause a stout growth. 
; Now is the time to determine upon the form the plants 
! are to take when fully grown; there are two, the pyra¬ 
midal and the mere bush,—we think the first the best 
and most elegant. To furnish side-shoots it will be 
necessary to nip off the tops when the plants are six 
inches high ; side-shoots will then be produced, and 
these should be tied out horizontally; the uppermost 
shoot should be tied upright, to be stopped again when 
eight or nine inches have been added to its stature. By 
the time this has taken place a fresh shift will be neces¬ 
sary ; the diameter of the pot this time should be seven 
inches. This shift should take place about the middle 
of April. Replace them in the house again, as near the 
glass as their shoots will allow. Give them now every 
attention, to cause strong, quick development, by water¬ 
ing freely at the roots, by syringing them overhead 
morning and evening, especially in sunny weather, and 
shutting up early in the afternoon, at the time the 
syringing is done; this will create a most stimulating 
atmosphere, and the plants will show they are thankful 
for such care by growing fast, and producing broad, 
healthy foliage. Stop them again, and tie the side- : 
shoots out in such a way as will furnish every side of 
the plant with horizontal branches equally distributed. 
If the house is a lean-to it will be necessary to turn the 
plant round every three or four days, to cause every side 
to be well proportioned and equally furnished; but if 
the house is in the best form, a span roof, this trouble 
will be avoided. Contimre this training till the plants 
have attained the requisite height, and begin to show 
bloom ; the supports should then be removed, and the 
branches will droop downwards in that elegant manner 
for which this tribe is so much admired. Repot twice 
more, first into h-iuch pots in May, and into 11-inch pots 
in June. In this last size they may be allowed to flower, 
and will then be perfect specimens of elegauce and 
beauty. They should then be removed into the green¬ 
house, and have abundance of air night and day. They 
will adorn the greenhouse when there are few other of 
its proper inhabitants within, they being now set out of 
doors to enjoy the summer breeze. T. Appleby. 
THE KITCJHEN-GABDEN. 
Routine-work. — Brocolis , Borecoles, Brussels sprouts, 
Savoys, Coleworts, &c., should be planted out, if not 
already done, in full crop. If room can be spared, plant 
again a few Dwarf Beans and Scarlet Runners ; and, 
about the middle of the month, sow early varieties for 
coming in in Autumn. See that a good succession of 
Cauliflowers are put out; any piece of warm border, 
from which Peas or Strawberries have been cleared, 
should be broken up as rough as possible with a strong 
digging fork, and be occasionally well-turned over and 
sweetened, in time for the principal Spinach sowing for 
winter’s use. Garlic, Shalots, and Underground Onions 
should be taken up and stored. Autumn-sown Onions 
should have their tops bent down, and a few more should 
now be sown, for a supply of young onions in autumn. 
Turnips. —To get a crop of quick-grown well-flavoured 
turnips, the soil should first be well-pulverized, and a 
small portion of some kind of manure drilled in with 
the seed, to encourage a kindly start. Wood, turf, or 
peat-ashes saved dry, or charred materials of any kind, 
are all well-known as excellent fertilizers for the turnip ; 
and so is guano, as well as sulphur, bone-dust, and 
many other articles which cost money to purchase, 
but the former articles may, in many places, be saved 
or procured almost free of expense; and so may night- 
soil, one of the richest of all fertilizers, and which 
may be modified to any extent, by properly mixing it 
with charred or burnt earth, dust of auy kind, charred 
wood-dust, or charred old tan, &c. It is astonishing 
what may be accomplished by economizing the various 
little articles that are often found to be wasted about j 
almost all dwellings and pieces of land. 
If dry weather continues to prevail, mulching the 
surface of the earth amongst the crops will be very 
advantageous, and liberal soakings of water should be 
applied to free-growing crops. James Barnes. 
