THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 16 . 
crowded with them, and having had a new tank-hed, I 
planted them out, balls entire, in rich mould, and they 
teased me much, growing away like rushes, and the half 
of them did not dower the third season, when I broke 
up the colony. Seedlings of all of them will keep green, 
winter and summer, if they have heat and moisture ; 
and even under a greenhouse and close pit treatment 
it is better to water them all along till they do flower. 
I regret that I cannot give a single name by which 
to ask for them ; every grower has his own seedlings, 
and his own particular names; but we would print any 
authentic list of them. D. Beaton. 
LUCULIA GBATISSIMA. 
1 There are few who, having seen, do not admire this 
! beautiful plant, when well covered with its terminal 
i bunches of pink rose-coloured flowers, not more gratify- 
i ing, however, to the eye, than they are refreshing from 
i their odour. Yet, comparatively, seldom does this plant 
j figure in collections, which is the more to be wondered 
j at, as it will bloom either when young or old,—as a 
tiny thing with one shoot, or as a large, bushy shrub. 
This we consider to be partly owing to two causes, the 
opposite to each other; namely, treating the plant con¬ 
tinuously as a native of the tropics, or, on the other 
hand, keeping it always as cool as we would do a hardy 
Cape Heath. Under the latter circumstances, patience 
will have to be exercised before a fine specimen is 
secured; and, in the former, growth is too apt to be 
made at the expense of flowering. When a speedy and 
a satisfactory result are alike desirable, it is often best 
to adopt a middle course, and give heat when growing, 
and coolness when resting; and, setting aside the true 
economy of this middle course, it seems to us the most 
similar to what the plant enjoys in its native home, on 
the hills of Silhet and Nepaul. 
Eighteen years ago, I had more to do with this de¬ 
lightful plant than ever I have had since; but the notes 
made then have been confirmed by subsequent practice 
and observation. It is alike beautiful, whether grown 
as a pot-plant, or planted-out in the bed of a con¬ 
servatory. Many readers, as well as myself, have been 
delighted with the fine plant in the conservatory of the 
Horticultural Gardens, Turnham Green. Keeping in 
view, however, what I have said about adopting a middle 
course, I would never allow planting-out until the plant ! 
has attained a considerable size under pot-culture. 
Like many other plants, it will thrive under roughisli 
treatment when of some age, though it would make 
small progress under that treatment when young. This 
is the more necessary to be mentioned, as, in these days 
of competition, nurserymen are obliged to hasten for- 
I ward into size even comparatively hardy plants; and 
ignorance or inattention to this is the cause why the 
beautiful, liealthy-like plants received, so soon become 
wretched and almost leafless. 
As a general rule, unless you have the word of your 
nurseryman to the contrary, make up your mind that j 
all young plants from a nursery, especially if cheaper 
than usual, will want a considerable amount of nursing ! 
before you can expose them to anything like rough 
' treatment. 1 recollect hearing a tradesman, expatiating 
j on the hardiness of this very plant, describing what 
Dr. Wallich said about its growing in very exposed 
| places on the mountains of Nepaul, where the valley or 
! table land was itself so high, that in a latitude of 27°, 
the climate of Europe was realised; and all this 1 
J believe to have been perfectly true, or nearly so; but, 
! with the exception of the specimen they were then 
looking at, I rather think that the whole of the young 
stock were at that moment enjoying a close atmosphere 
saturated with moisture, and a temperature ranging 
1 from 75° to 80°. Now, just think of the effect produced 
1 on a plant packed up from such a coddling place, and, 
after travelling many miles, transferred at once to the 
shelf of an open, airy greenhouse. I blame no one. 
The nurseryman grows to sell; the amateur grows to 
keep and enjoy; and if not so initiated as to guess j 
pretty correctly, by the appearance of a plant, as to the 1 
treatment it was previously experiencing, he had better 
not be above asking for information, and few, if any, 
nurserymen would refuse to give it. There need be no 
mistake here. The dealer, whose goods are found the 
most serviceable, will, ultimately, command the greatest 
amount of custom. 
The general applicability of this digression will 
excuse its introduction here. I must, however, in con¬ 
sequence, make short work of the main points of the 
culture of the Luculia gratissima. 
Propagation .—Supposing that you, or a neighbour, 
have a plant that has been in bloom some months; it 
will now be on the wane, and will soon want cleaning 
and pruning; the amount of the latter must be in 
reference to the present size of the plant, and the size 
you wish it ultimately to be, taken in connection with 
the fact, that as the flowers are produced chiefly on the 
points of young shoots well ripened, the object in 
pruning is to save as many buds as you will want 
shoots, and can depend on these buds starting. 
Well, then, supposing these buds have started, and 
have grown three inches in length, slip them off close 
to the stem with a razor-like knife, and, with scarcely 
more preparation, these constitute excellent cuttings. 
From February to June is a good time for inserting the 
cuttings, and the sooner done the better the chance of 
a good plant before winter. If such cuttings are not to 
be bad, select a piece of a shoot, neither soft nor hard, 
cut through at a joint, and leave a joint or two with the 
leaves on above, removing the leaves at the base of the 
cutting. 
In either case, insert the cuttings in silver sand, over 
sandy peat, and the pot three-parts filled witli drainage; 
water, cover with a bell-glass, and shade from bright 
sunshine until the resting processes are going on. Now, 
with respect to position, &c., the tw r o kinds of cuttings 
require a slightly different treatment. The little slips 
taken oft’ close to the stem will delight at once in a 
moist, warm atmosphere, and a briskish bottom-beat, 
such as can be found in a Cucumber or Melon frame. 
These from the young shoots, cut into parts, will require 
to be kept rather cool for ten days, and then be plunged 
in the bottom-heat. If, in both cases, the plants were 
growing in a high temperature, the treatment may at 
once be identical; but it will be best to make the differ¬ 
ence when a plant, in one case, is merely commencing 
to make its wood, and that wood, in another case, is 
taking the first step towards ripening. In either case, 
as soon as struck, let the cuttings be potted off in small 
pots, and be plunged again in the bottom-heat, and if not 
after Midsummer, if there is only one stem, stop it, to 
obtain two or three. 
Choosing Plants .—As many would prefer having a 
nice little plant at once, choose one more distinguished 
for health, for having uncramped roots, and absence of 
stuntedness, than for its general size. As economy 
seems to be a marked feature with the readers of this 
work, wo would advise them strongly to commence with 
a young plant. As the treatment for that, if procured 
before Midsummer (and the earlier the better), will bo 
the same as for a young plant raised from a cutting 
early, wo will not separate them in the general details , 
necessary. 
Soil .—Beat and loam, in a rough, sweet state, broken 
by the hand, and enough of little bits of charcoal, I 
broken pots, and silver sand, to keep the soil open, will 
grow them admirably. 
