May 8. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
89 
make a stock frequently produce variegated shoots? 
I have met with some singular instances among Vines, 
such as a graft so changing the stock, that that stock 
threw out a shoot, several feet below the graft, of the 
same kind, and totally unlike the stock originally. I 
have also found that several of the had qualities of a 
Vine have conveyed themselves from the stock into the 
scion of the desired variety. One of the best gardeners 
in Britain has been trying, for years, by a series of 
grafting and regrafting, to secure the fine berry of the 
Gannon Hall Muscat, with as good a certainty of the 
Vine setting its fruit as freely as the Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria generally does; and he is most sanguine as to 
tire result. 1 throw these up merely as feathers in the 
wind—to mark a field of which we as yet know but 
little. 
HARDINESS OF THE CHINESE AZALEAS. 
It will he reeollectod, that I mentioned, some time ago, 
tliat my friend, Mr. Fraser, of Luton Hoo-Park, had 
found the white Azalea quite hardy. About a month 
ago, I walked through the interesting American ground 
there, and though sorry to find many of the reputed 
hardy hybrid Rhododendrons cut down to the ground, 
if not killed altogether, numbers of these white Azaleas 
of all ages—some quite young—were quite healthy, 
scarcely browned at the points, the buds being strong 
and prominent for bloom. Many varieties, raised with 
a good dash in them of the old purple Phenicea, were 
also in good health ; and, perhaps, to many, the chief 
wonder of all would be, their growing freely in the 
marly clayey loam 1 previously mentioned—their fibres 
hanging in it like a wig, after refusing to enter the 
compost prepared for them, of which vegetable matter 
that had been under water formed a constituent. 
R. Fish. 
CHIRONIA GLUT1NOSA 
(Clammy Chironia.) 
The Chirouias are a small assemblage of plants from 
the Cape of Good Hope. They are all evergreen, and 
require the protection of the greenhouse. The one I 
have selected to recommend to the notice of our 
readers is, I consider, the best of the genus. The reason 
why I write about it is, that it requires a somewhat 
peculiar management in order to grow it to perfection, 
aud thus cause it to produce its beautiful flowers in 
profusion. 
History. —The generic name is a classical one, after 
Chiron, one of the centaurs, said to be the father of 
medicine. It was introduced from the Cape, in 1841, 
consequently, it is, comparatively speaking, a new plant. 
It belongs to the Gentianworts (Gentianaceae). 
Description. —A straggling bush, with long, oval¬ 
shaped, bright green leaves. The flowers are produced 
singly at the end of the shoots. They are of a beautiful 
rosy-lilac colour, aud fully an inch-aud-a-half across. 
The tube is short, and the four divisions spread flat, 
forming almost a perfect circle. The plant flowers 
freely, so that a healthy bush will have many flowers 
open at the same time. Duration. — The bloom, if 
moderately shaded, will last four or live weeks in 
beauty. The buds do not open all together; hence, 
there is a succession of flowers. The floral leaves 
are coverod with a viscid, shining juice; hence, its 
specific name. 
Propagation. —It strikes readily by cuttings, and 
now is a good season for that operation. Take a bell- 
glass, five or six inches diameter, and a clean pot a 
little larger, just to allow the bell-glass to rest upon 
the sand within it. Drain it well, that is, fill the pot 
at least half full of clean crocks (broken pots), the 
larger size at the bottom, and the smaller upon them 
'To prevent the soil from choaking up this drainage, put 
upon the crocks a thin layer of the siftings from the 
peat. Then fill up the pot to within an inch of the 
rim with heath-mould roughly sifted, and upon that an 
inch of fine silver-sand, press it down gently, and strike 
it off level with a straight-edged stick; give a gentle 
watering to make the sand firm, aud then leave it to 
settle, and look out for and prepare the cuttings. The 
best are the young tops, two or three joints in length. 
Trim off the lower leaves with a sharp penknife close to 
the stem, and cut off the bottom right across, just under, 
and close to a joint. Prepare as many as will fill the 
pot. If you have not sufficient for a pot of the dimen¬ 
sions given above, then prepare, in the same manner, a 
less oue, and a less bell-glass to fit it. Insert the 
cuttings neatly in rows across the pot till it is full, 
putting them in down to the first pair of leaves; then 
give another gentle watering from a very fine-rosed pot. 
Let the pot stand in a shady place for an hour to dry 
the leaves, and then place on the bell-glass, and place 
the pot on a heated surface, if at hand, or in a shady 
part of a warm stove, or propagatiug-house. If the sun 
at auy part of the day shines on the bell-glass, shade 
it immediately with a sheet of white paper. I use old 
newspapers for that purpose. If the sand becomes dry, 
then take oft’ the glass, and give a little water, replacing 
the glass as soon as the leaves are dry. By this close 
attention, never relaxed, almost every cutting will strike. 
I have been very particular in these directions, aud 
whoever wishes to succeed must be equally particular 
| in following them up in every particular point. This 
plant is not difficult to increase, if due pains are 
taken; and unless the cultivator resolves to give the 
necessary attention, he had better never attempt it. 
As soon as the cuttings show growth, the glass should 
be lifted off for an hour in the latter part of the day, 
gradually increasing the time, till at last the cuttings 
will bear it off altogether without flagging. They are 
then certainly rooted, and should be potted off iui- 
mediatly; previous to doing so, prepare a sufficient 
quantity of the following compost:—Three-parts fibry 
heath-mould, one-part light turfy loam, with a liberal 
addition of sharp, white sand. Mix this compost well, 
and pass it through a moderately fine sieve. Take a 
sufficient number of the smallest 60-pots, drain them 
well, and place them handy on the bench; then turn 
the plants out of the cutting-pot very carefully, and 
soparate them from. 6ach other as carefully, pre¬ 
serving every root entire; pot them as quickly as 
possible; give water gently, aud place them under 
a large hand-light, one that will hold the whole 
batch ; shade closely for a few days, sprinkling them 
whenever they are dry with tepid water. As soon as 
they begin to grow again, give air aud less shade, 
inuring them gradually to bear the full light aud air. 
Then place them in a cold frame, nipping off the tops 
to cause them to make more shoots. The frame may 
be opened every fine, cloudy day during the summer. 
In about two mouths they will have filled the small 
pots with roots. Then repot them, and keep them in 
the frame till the frost warns you that it is time to 
remove them into the greenhouse. Place them on a 
shelf near the glass, aud give due supplies of water 
in the morning, through the autumn and winter. They 
should be nice, bushy plants by the spring, and then 
commences the season for the 
General Management. — Potting. —The best time for 
this is the first week in April. Have ready a sufficient 
quantity of clean pots, two sizes larger, and compost in 
a proper condition, that is, neither wet nor dry, aud not 
too finely sifted ; and plenty of crocks of various sizes. 
Drain the pots well, and proceed in the usual way to 
pot the plants. They may now be placed a little further 
