518 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 17, 1886. 
when production by this means may be most success¬ 
fully prosecuted. 
Respecting the choice of cuttings, having in the 
preceding paragraph endeavoured to impress on my 
readers the necessity that they should be ripe, or at 
least in that stage of maturity in which they contain 
in abundance the matter without which they cannot 
develop roots, it is only further requisite on this point 
to indicate several other important particulars, observa¬ 
tion of which will contribute to success. 
As a rule, side shoots are superior to leading ones, 
because they are usually more solid or firm and short- 
jointed. The best are those which from their position 
have enjoyed the largest amount of light throughout 
the season ; hence the recommendation which we often 
see in books, that they should be selected from the 
lowest branches, or those that sw’eep the ground, is not 
always to be relied upon, because such branches are 
always more or less overshadowed by those above them, 
resulting in a flabby foliage, and weak ill-conditioned 
wood. There can be no rule laid down for the length 
of cuttings that would be applicable to those of all kinds 
of trees and shrubs. But if there is no stem required 
to stand above ground, as in the case of Gooseberry and 
Currant, cuttings, any length from 6 ins. to 9 ins., may 
be deemed generally convenient. Much stress is laid 
by some on the desirability of having a small portion 
of the older wood attached to the base of each cutting ; 
but provided the young wood is thoroughly hard and 
ripe, I have never been able to convince myself that it 
was of much importance, in so far as deciduous cuttings 
are concerned. Hollow-stemmed subjects, such as the 
Honeysuckles and Lycesteria, are, however, exceptions, 
which may or should be selected with a base of the 
two-year-old ivood attached, because the older w r ood is 
more solid, and consequently less liable to be injured 
by accumulations of moisture in the tube. 
Evergreen cuttings, such as those of Coniferae 
generally, Hollies, and Arbutus, should always be 
selected with a heel or small section of the old wood at 
the base. Laurels and other easily increased evergreens 
may be selected with or without such a heel as is found 
most convenient. All Coniferse and other evergreens 
that are naturally of pyramidal habit must be selected 
with perfect terminal buds or leaders, otherwise it will 
be difficult to re-establish them, and care should be 
taken to avoid injury to the leading buds either in the 
making or the planting of them. 
In the making of cuttings it is a sound rule to square 
the base clean and smooth over close to a bud or joint 
with a sharp knife. It is far from essential or necessary, 
I admit, to do so in every case. There are some sub¬ 
jects with which the forester has ordinarily to deal 
that will strike roots from any part of the stem freely, 
even without incision of any kind, if they are merely 
stuck into the ground right or wrong end up. The 
Willow and the Poplar are familiar examples of thi, 
accommodating description, but they are comparatively 
few, and will succeed none the worse that they are 
treated according to the rule laid down. Deciduous 
cuttings, and diffuse or bushy-growing evergreens, may 
have their central buds cut out or not according to 
circumstances. 
The subsequent treatment of cuttings begins with 
the necessity of preventing their exposure for any 
length of time to the atmosphere after they are made. 
Neglect of this is often the cause of very serious 
failure. If they cannot be at once planted in the beds 
or positions they are finally to occupy, let them be tied 
together according to their sorts in small bundles, and 
covered up with soil or sand or sawdust, and kept moist 
till convenience permits of their being planted. Ever¬ 
greens suffer most from exposure, and should be the 
more promptly attended to. All the more easily 
propagated sorts may be planted in any well-sheltered 
border or plot, where they will not be exposed to cold 
dry -winds in spring, or to the sun during the meridian 
hours. 
It is essential that the ground should be light 
and well drained ; if not light enough, it should be 
made so by means of a liberal allowance of sand being 
intermixed with it near the root or butt-ends of the 
cuttings. They should be planted by means of the 
spade in lines in the same way as any other kind of 
small nursery stock, and thickly enough to economize 
space, yet with sufficient room to enable them to stand 
undisturbed till they are fully rooted. Make them 
thoroughly firm in the process of planting to prevent 
drought reaching their butts, and plant them so that 
in the case of deciduous subjects there may be very 
little of the top visible above ground, and of evergreens 
only the portion of the stem having leaves attached to 
it. As soon as they are planted it is well to give them 
a slight sprinkling over with bracken, or with light 
stable litter, the former being the best, to protect them 
alike from frost and from drying winds ; this covering 
should be allowed to remain over them till all danger 
of their suffering from either contingency is past. 
Conifene and Holly cuttings must have protection of 
some kind from the exhausting effects of the atmo¬ 
sphere. They will not endure the alternations of heat 
and cold and drought and wet which are inseparable 
from unmitigated exposure. In well-appointed nur¬ 
series, where these things are reared by thousands, 
there is usually a properly constructed propagating 
house, with heating apparatus attached, so that a little' 
heat may be applied at will for the purpose of driving 
off excessive moisture, and finally, after the cuttings 
are well callused, to assist them in the process of root¬ 
ing. But though essential to the highest success, this 
can be dispensed with when only small quantities are 
required of each sort. There are many expedients and 
appliances suitable for moderate operations. Hand¬ 
glasses and cold frames are excellent in their way, 
when placed in a suitable position, which in order to be 
so should be dry, and with an aspect on which the sun 
cannot fall during the hottest hours of the day. The 
frame or liandlight should be filled with a suitable 
compost, light, sandy, and level, so that it may take 
water equally all over, and it should be beaten firm 
with a spade or brick before planting. I have found 
cocoa-nut fibre refuse mixed with sand the best material 
for this class of cuttings, and for many things that are 
much more difficult to do. Its equable retention of 
moisture and temperature, and its eminently friable 
condition, along with its cleanness and freedom from 
fungoid developments, even when it is undergoing 
decomposition, render it the most favourable medium 
in which to root cuttings w'hich take some considerable 
time in the process. The frame or liandlight will 
require to be kept close during the first few months 
after the cuttings are planted, merely opening them 
occasionally during the mornings of fine days to let off 
superfluous moisture. They must be protected from 
frost, and in spring and summer from hot sun-light, 
and they must be w'atered as often as they appear to 
require it, bearing in mind that drought is the greatest 
obstacle to success. Dead leaves and damp cuttings 
should never be allowed to accumulate, and the first 
signs of damping or fogging, which may appear among 
cuttings of small Coniferse, such as Retinosporas and 
Biotas, should be promptly arrested by the removal of 
the affected parts and change of treatment. This 
disorder is caused by stagnation of atmosphere and 
superabundance of moisture, and a little more liberal 
ventilation, and a more sparing use of the watering-pot 
overhead will quickly arrest it .—A Nurseryman in 
Forestry. 
-- 
ORCHIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
AxgR/ECUM arenatum and polystachya PU- 
bescens.— The more I see of these two pretty and 
fragrant Orchids growing here the more I am pleased 
with them. I am convinced that there are many Orchids 
grown in England, and estimated at a high value, that 
are not to be compared with these if they were well 
grown. The Angrsecum arenatum has the habit of 
growth of an Aerides, and sprays of white ivory-like 
flowers, with curiously elongated spurs like those of 
Angrsecum sesquipedale, but smaller. Their odour, 
especially in the evening, is delightful. 
Polystachya pubescens has leafy pseudo-bulbs, and 
upright spikes of pretty golden yellow flowers with 
crimson lines in them ; it also is fragrant. I find them 
both together with a few other Epipyhtes growing near 
the coast, in some cases very exposed, but where there 
is shelter they seem more at home. The growing season 
begins in August and ends in March. If ever so hot 
during the da}’, there is always a cool breeze during 
the night, and generally some dew. 
From April to October much wet prevails, and it is 
frequently cold, especially at night, when there are 
heavy dews, but no actual frost reaches the plants. 
Let it be ever so wet and cold during the night, about 
nine o’clock in the morning, with bright sun, all traces 
of dew or rain disappear, and find these two Orchids and 
some other smaller ones on four trees in particular—first 
the Podocarpus latifolius (native deal or yellow wood), 
which somewhat resembles the common Scotch Fir, 
but has a more branching habit like the large old Oaks 
at home. 
It grows 50 ft. to 80 ft. high, with foliage very 
dense, and the big branches hanging downwards, 
and near the very ends the Angraecums grow as if 
placed there, to render it next to impossible for anyone 
to get them, for one cannot get out to them from the 
branches nor up to them from the outside. The next 
tree on which they are found is a Ficus (milk-wood), 
which bears a small edible fruit; the third resembles 
a large Box tree, with very new wood and rough bark ; 
the fourth is the wild single Gardenia. There may be 
fifty other kinds of trees about, but not a trace of an 
Orchid growing on any of them. 
The Polystachya is also found on the same trees as 
the Angrfecums, and sometimes growing on rocks quite 
out in the open plain, and if some of the Orchid growers 
could see these two Orchids blooming in favourable 
situations out here, they would confess they are 
desirable plants for the greenhouse at home .—James 
Hall, Part Elizabeth, South Africa. 
- -»*«— - 
PROPAGATING HERBACEOUS 
PHLOXES. 
The herbaceous or decussata section of Phloxes in- 
include all those which annually produce flowering 
stems from a perennial root-stock, and which’ do so 
much towards making gay our summer and autumn 
flower-beds. This season of gaiety may be considerably 
prolonged by adopting various methods in their propa¬ 
gation, principally, however, by cuttings and by seeds. 
To carry out the first-named method the young growth 
cuttings, which are being so freely produced from the 
base of the plants at the present time, may be secured, 
i.e., taken off, when about 3 ins. to 4 ins. long, and 
inserted in a close frame in sandy loam ; a dung frame 
just losing its heat makes an exeelleht place for striking 
the cuttings. Place about eight cuttings in a 5-in. pot, 
and if all goes well, they will emit roots in about three 
W’eeks, when they should be gradually hardened off. 
Afterwards they may either be potted singly or trans¬ 
ferred from the cutting pots to the beds in which they 
are destined to flower, choosing a dull close day if the 
latter be adopted. Few things root more readily than 
these, for they not only emit roots from the joint or 
base of the cutting, but nearly always from the sides 
also. 
Though it is rather late in the day for advocating seed 
sowing of these, it is not too late for special purposes, 
e.g., presuming one wanted a few good heads of divers 
coloured flowers for disposing among the Chrysan¬ 
themums and other things in the conservatory late in 
autumn. These late-sown Phloxes are the identical 
things for the purpose, so that seed may be placed in 
slight w armth at once, and as soon as up potted off singly 
in small pots, and when sufficiently strong plant them 
out in some good rich garden soil. Never let them suffer 
for want of water, for, like the Chrysanthemums, they 
delight in abundant moisture at the roots, and making, 
as the Phloxes do, a considerable number of surface 
roots, a few hours hot sun soon tells against them. 
By the middle of September they will, if liberally 
treated, have made good plants, and may be taken as 
many as are required and potted up for decorative 
purposes. They will repay the little trouble, and their 
huge panicles of flowers make a very pleasing and in¬ 
teresting variety when judiciously blended among other 
flowering and foliage plants in groups. 
I have also grown some of the strongest cuttings on 
in pots, and, treating them after the manner of 
Chrysanthemums, they flower earlier than the seed¬ 
lings and which bring up a good succession. Among 
named kinds there is an almost endless variety, some, 
however, are especially dwarf, and suited for pot culture 
by their bushy habit—the following being among the 
best, none exceeding 2* ft. high Thomas Chisholme, 
Independence, The Queen, and La Candour, all pure 
white ; Edith and Marie Saisson, are white, with a 
coloured centre ; then in bright colours we have Liervali, 
of a dark shiny rose, striped with white, a conspicuous 
variety ; Comte de Maron, rich dark purplish lilac with 
crimson centre ; Madame Emeraut, dark rosy salmon, 
very fine ; Madame Boisset, clear shiny rose, a beautiful 
variety ; Monsieur Thalet, clear lilac, with deeper 
centre; and Monsieur Taillard, bright salmon-red. 
These are a few good and distinct kinds, well suited for 
