334 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
light is another indispensable; but both may easily be 
carried to excess, especially if the temperature is allowed 
to rise to a great height. Where quick rooting is an 
object, it is much better to remove the cutting pots, 
after having stood three or four weeks in the cold frame, 
to a mild bottom-heat,—say from 75° to 85°; but even 
here the top temperature should seldom average more 
than 50° by night and 75° by day, or in summer should 
seldom be much above what it is in the open air. If 
conical glasses are used, wiping them will be more a 
matter of amusement than necessity, and lifting them for 
watering purposes will be seldom required ;—tilting up 
one side at night, and increasing the space by degrees, 
will be of more importance, taking care, however, to shut 
down close in the morning, before the sun strikes upon 
them. I have several times shown that refracted light 
is better than shaded light, and that by placing cuttings 
at a certain safe distance from the glass, shading might 
be altogether dispensed with,—a matter of importance 
to amateur operators, who must sometimes depend for 
assistance in their absence to the not most willing hands. 
Future Management. —If the plants are struck early, 
they should be pricked out round the sides, say four of 
them in a four or five-inch pot, or singly, if strong, into 
three-inch p>ots. For keeping over the winter, it is 
generally the safest and easiest mode to prick out such 
small plants round the sides of middle-sized pots, as 
the moisture, temperature of soil, &c., are more equable 
than when each little plant has a pot to itself, while the 
trouble of attendance is greatly abridged. If the cuttings 
are not ready to be potted or pricked off before the 
middle of September, provided there is sandy peat below 
the silver sand, they will be kept safer in the cutting 
pots all the winter. In either of these cases, the plants 
should be kept on a shelf near the glass, where they can 
obtain the highest medium, temperature of the green¬ 
house in winter, and abundance of air whenever the 
external air is not stormy, not loaded with moisture, 
nor below 38° or 40°. In either of these cases, the 
amount of fresh air (unless heated before entrance into 
the house) must be limited. 
Potting. —This is best done in the spring months in 
the case of young plants;—in the case of established 
ones, it may be done any time in summer after flower¬ 
ing, when fresh growth has commenced. Where proper 
attention can be given, after the plant is a foot or 
eighteen inches high, it may be treated on the one-shift 
system; in all other cases, the successive shift system 
should be adopted, and not too large shifts at a time. I 
need not add that drainage must be particularly attended 
to. To prevent the access of worms, amateurs should 
use caps or bowls of zinc or galvanized iron inverted 
over the hole, in the bottom of the pot, with plenty of 
rough, and then finer drainage above, surmounted by a 
little green moss, or chopped straw, to prevent the 
earthy matter clogging the drainage. If such a plant 
without some of these precautions is set in the ground, 
even for a short time, a worm or two will try and wriggle 
themselves in; and as the plants neither like much lime 
water, nor to be much disturbed about the roots when 
growing, there is a difficulty in getting the slippery 
gentlemen dislodged. The cap is one of the best means 
for keeping them out. 
Soil. —For young plants, this should be composed al¬ 
most entirely of fibry sandy peat, with a little dried leaf- 
mould; as the plants get larger, a little fibry sweet loam 
may be added. The larger the plant, and the larger the 
shift, the rougher should the compost be. For medium 
circumstances, the compost will answer well of four parts 
fibry peat, one part very fibry sweet loam, one part 
silver sand, and one part of equal proportions of rough 
charcoal and pounded bricks or broken freestone. The 
largest pieces for a large shift should be less than a 
walnut, and the least, half the size of small peas, the 
[August 28. j 
very dust being sifted out before the sand is added. A 
slight layer of finer compost should be placed upon the 
surface. 
Temperature. —After potting at whatever time, the 
plants should be kept closer and warmer than usual to 
encourage growth, exposing them to sun and air by de¬ 
grees. The common temperature of the greenhouse in 
spring and early summer suits them well when bloom¬ 
ing ; but when that is nearly over, and the plants have 
received their pruning, any close pit, where a moister 
atmosphere and a higher temperature can be given 
them, will encourage fresh growth. When that has 
taken place, the roots, if necessary, may be examined, 
and the plants returned to the same position, taking 
care, however, that they are more exposed by degrees 
before the end of autumn, so that the wood may be well 
matured; on this maturity depends, in a great measure, 
their winter treatment. Those best ripened will stand 
a low temperature and an abundance of air, that would 
ruin those more coddled in the autumn. As a general 
rule, the plants should seldom be below 45° in winter, if 
it be desirable to keep them nice and healthy. A rise 
of from 10° to 15° may be allowed from sunlieat. A 
slight shade will be wanted when growing in summer, 
but full exposure towards autumn. I have seen nice 
plants that were never removed from the greenhouse, 
but I would prefer a closer and warmer place when 
making their wood than would suit the generality of 
greenhouse plants, such as geraniums, cinerarias, &c., 
in summer; but if the greenhouse is kept close for the 
sake of growing azaleas, camellias, &c., then that alters 
the case, and it would just be the place for the llovcas 
when growing. 
Training. —The trellis one-sided system, especially for 
plants that have no liability to twist, twine, or creep, is 
very properly being discarded. Every appearance of 
twisting, even when done to give a bush-like character, 
detracts from the beauty of the lovely Hoveas. The 
busli-system must be given at once, when the plant is 
young, by stopping, and by tying-out the side shoots 
from the base of the plant to the side of the pot, fasten¬ 
ing them there to little sticks, or, better still, by strands 
of fine matting or worsted thread, to a ring fixed beneath 
the rim of the pot outside. This training must also be 
kept in view when 
Pruning back somewhat freely the flowering shoots, 
previously to setting the plants growing for another year. 
Watering is an essential point; the plants will neither 
endure the torrent spout system, nor the surface soil the 
dribbling from a fine rose. A medium between the two 
will be found the best, such as placing a large potsherd, 
or a good sized oyster-shell on the surface of the pot, 
and pouring the requisite supply of water slowly on 
these mediums. I have several times lost fine plants, 
solely, I believe, owing to the careless use of the water- 
pot. In winter the water should b q pure, and not below 
the temperature of 50°. If enough is given at a time, 
waterings will not often be required in winter. As the 
flower-buds begin to swell, more will be necessary, and 
a very weak solution of old cow-dung will then be 
advantageous, but it must be weak and from old dung. 
When growing, they must have abundance of water. 
During the whole period they stand on the shelves in 
the greenhouse, to prevent sudden extremes from sun¬ 
shine, dry cold air, or brisk fires, the plants will be ren¬ 
dered more secure by standing in double pots, the space 
between them, at the top at least, being stuffed with 
moss, or any other more come-at-able substance. When 
growing, the syringe may be applied often, but lightly, 
morning and evening. In winter and sjrring, before the 
flowers open, fine dustings may be given in the middle, 
or very early in the afternoons of fine, mild, sunny days. 
Insects. —Less or more, they are attacked by the usual 
depredators we alluded to last week, but the most trou- 
