116 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGISX. 
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little shortening given to all but the terminal ones. They may then be inserted 
in a well-drained pot, in silver sand over very sandy peat. The success will 
be all the more certain if a small pot is reversed in the centre of the cutting- 
pot, so that the base of the cuttings may abut on the centre pot. Fill any 
holes made by the dibber with silver sand; water well; and, when the sand is 
firm and the plants dry, cover the pot with a bell-glass, and plunge the pot in 
a mild bottom heat, shading the glass in bright sunshine, but giving no shade 
when cloudy, removing it early in the afternoon, and giving a little air under 
the glass at night, replacing it before sunshine in the morning, and preferring 
to keep the atmosphere surrounding the cuttings and the bed somewhat moist 
instead of watering the cuttings much. When struck, pot-off singly in small 
pots, or three round the sides of a four or five-inch pot, using at first a light 
soil, as three parts of heath soil to one of loam and one of silver sand, and 
increasing the amount of sand as the plant gets older. 
Under the most favourable circumstances, a cutting could hardly be 
expected to make a show as a flowering plant under three or four years, or 
even more. Amateurs would, therefore, be nearer their purpose to procure 
from a nurseryman a nice, bushy, healthy plant, in a four or a six-inch pot; 
and though I give the process of propagating, yet, with all such things, it 
it will be the truest economy to keep in mind the division-of-labour principle 
and purchase a nice plant, as propagators by profession can do all that sort of 
thing at half the labour and expense that any amateur, or any gardener with 
a great variety of plants demanding his attention, could by any possibility do. 
Supposing the plant to be obtained, my cultural remarks will chiefly have 
reference to getting it to bloom early in the summer of the following year. 
The plant, then, home-raised or purchased, being a nice little stubby plant in 
the end of March or beginning of April, and occupying a five-inch pot pretty 
well filled with roots, I would keep the plant in a temperature of from 50° to 
55°, with a view to promote free growth, and this, especially in a bought 
plant, for a fortnight or three weeks after obtaining it, so that all the stagna¬ 
tion of the journey might be got over. The next thing to do is to give the 
plant a larger pot. Unless in skilful hands that will regulate watering to a 
nicety, very large shifts are to be avoided; but so are very small ones, as the 
plant seems to need a little nursing after every shift. Well, supposing the 
plant is in a five-inch pot, I would transfer it to a seven or an eight-inch one, 
draining the pot well, using a little broken sifted charcoal over the drainage— 
that is, getting rid of the dust; then gently disentangle the roots outside the 
ball, so that they shall run at once into the new soil, taking care that before 
shifting the ball is thoroughly and sufficient!}' moistened, as fresh-potting such 
a plant dry is next door to throwing it away. The soil should be in good order, 
neither wet nor dry, and picked-in pretty lightly among and to the roots. 
For plants about this size three parts of heath soil to two of loam should 
be used; and one part more may consist of silver sand, broken pots, and 
nodules of charcoal, so as to allow free passage for water. When the plants 
come to stand in a ten or twelve-inch pot, the fibry loam and heath soil may be 
in equal proportions, and then the loam will insure more stubbiness in the 
growth. Then, too, a little fine leaf mould may also be used in the soil. A 
little moss will likewise be an advantage between the soil and the drainage. 
First Summer’s Management. —After potting, it would be well to raise 
the temperature gradually from 50° to 60°, using a little shade in bright sun¬ 
shine, and frequent sprinklings overhead, until the roots are working freely in the 
fresh soil. Until then, water should be given carefully, so as not to deluge the 
fresh soil until the roots get into it. A skiff from the syringe will be useful 
in sunny afternoons until the end of July. As soon as you perceive the roots 
