118 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
be kept till the following autumn, and planted out, thus saving' 
what some people would throw away. But, of course, much 
bloom cannot be expected the first year, but will be repaid for 
in the second. As the foliage begins to ripen and the grass 
begins to grow around them, it should be cut, but never 
cut to the foliage till it is properly ripened. This is easily 
known by the foliage turning yellow, or rather brown. Then 
the scythe may be put through them, clearing all the rubbish 
away that is left behind. Bulbs that have been growing on 
the same ground for two or three years may be shifted imme¬ 
diately after flowering to the place where they are wanted to 
bloom another year. If the weather be dry, give a good 
watering, and keep watering them if they show signs of flag¬ 
ging. We tried this plan once where I served for a. few 
years, and it never injured them in, the least, and the following 
spring we were repaid for our trouble. Out of over 3,000 
bulbs we only lost, three, and some of the varieties were of the 
worst, forms to shift. One thing in our favour was that the 
bottom of the beds was clay and always damp. 
Flitch wick. 
Notes on American Shrubs. 
Many gardens in this country owe much to the flora, of 
America for the wealth of floral display given during the 
months of summer by not a few of the exquisite arboreous sub¬ 
jects which have been introduced from that country, and 
although it. must be admitted that those I have mentioned do. 
not. find a. place or are ha.ppy outdoors in a great many of the 
counties of England, yet their place amongst our flowering 
shrubs is fully justified when one. sees them in the maritime 
and more favoured parts of England, especially m the south¬ 
west, for here they find .a, suitable home., the. warm and moist 
atmosphere during summer, together with the mildness of the 
winters, seeming to be a. near approach to the conditions re¬ 
quired by them. But this, however, is not all, for in planting 
them site and soil should be considered, these, two factors being 
of vital importance to ensure success. In almost all cases 
they should be given a. warm and sheltered position if pos¬ 
sible, and, generally speaking, the soil they require should be 
one into which peat or leaf-mould enters largely, with a good 
addition of gravel or rough sand. 'Good drainage is also, ab¬ 
solutely essential for their well-being, and thus every pre¬ 
caution should be taken to prevent stagnation to the root 
during the rainy period. 
Among the many handsome American flowering trees and 
shrubs none is more beautiful than Emb-othrium coccineum, 
which presents a most gorgeousi spectacle in May and June, 
the twigs being laden with clusters of glowing scarlet flowers. 
In shape of inflorescence and flower it resembles that of the 
Honeysuckle. It is rather a. slow grower, hut under good con¬ 
ditions it has attained a. height of 30 ft. in this, country, form¬ 
ing quite a tree. Seed is produced fairly freely from these 
established specimens, and thus the popular method of propa¬ 
gation is from seed sown early in, the spring, in pots, placing 
them in cold frames. 
Eucryphia pinnatifolia, an introduction from Chili, is a re¬ 
markably handsome Rosaceous shrub. The flowers, which are 
white, with numerous long stamens terminating in bright 
yellow antEers, are very effective with the glossy-green pin¬ 
nate foliage. 
The position for this plant should be wisely chosen, and 
should be a permanent one, as Eucryphia. will not stand shift¬ 
ing with impunity. A half-shady position, sheltered front 
north and westerly winds, should be afforded it, and, like 
Embothrium, the best method of propagation is by seed sown 
in thumb-pots, and placed in a temperature of 50 deg. in the 
early spring. 
Carpenteria californioa is an evergreen shrub bearing fragrant 
pure white flowers in summer, and has long been recognised 
as one of the most beautiful of its kind. It is also fairly 
hardy, having been grown, with success in, Scotland. It is 
suited either for wall or the open, but should not be subjected 
to cutting draughts, as this is even more injurious than frost 
for the plant. It® propagation is effected by cuttings of the 
February 6, 190. 
young wood, or by seed, if obtainable, and placed in a warn 
pit.. 
There are many others worthy of mention did space permit, 
and I cannot but append the following as most desirabh 
shrubs to have, even if we have to give them some protection 
during winter—viz., Abelia floribunda, by far the best of all 
the Abelias, and most suitable for a wall hieing south; Fabiana 
imbricata, a charming Heath-like shrub, bearing a profusion of 
pure white flowers 1 , and best seen in. the open ; while two other 
attractive Chilian shrubs are Desfontaines spinosa and 
Mitrania coccinea.. S. W. 
Ringing Crotons. 
Crotons which have lost their bottom leaves and that, have 
begun to look unsightly may now be rung, or cut. back and the 
cuttings, inserted into, a brisk bottom heat. But the former 
plan I think more suitable, as then a fairly good-shaped plant 
may be got in a shorter period of time. 
If the following plan is adopted this should meet with success. 
First, thoroughly cleanse the old plants from insect pests 
(mealy bug, red spider, and thrips being their chief enemies). 
Then secure some 3-in. (60’s) pots and cut- them through the 
centre; then cut two circles round the. stem of the old plant, 
i in,, apart, so that the outer bark may be removed easily. 
Place the corresponding halves of the 60’s together round 
the stem and fill the pots up. with finely-chopped peat and 
sphagnum moss (all the dust to be shaken out of the peat). 
Thisi should receive a thorough watering and should always 
be kept moist afterwards, as, the young roots which come out 
of the stem should on no account be allowed to get. dry. The 
two halves of the pot containing the rooting material can 
easily be secured by wiring them to a good stake placed in 
the old plant pot. 
When the young roots begin to come through the bottom of 
the small pots, a. small notch should be cut round the stem 
close up to the pot every other morning. I think this is a safer 
plan than cutting them straight off the parent plant, as then 
they do not. feel the sudden check. 
They may be then potted off into 48’s (5-in. pots) in, a, mix¬ 
ture of good fibrous: loam one part., peat one part., leaf-mould 
one part, and enough charcoal and silver sand to make it fairly 
porous. They should then be placed in a gentle bottom heat 
and shaded for a few days, and should be kept syringed to keep 
red spider and thrips in check. After they have made a, good 
quantity of roots they may be placed on a shelf in the stove to 
get the colour in, them. These should make some fairly good- 
sized plant® by early aut,umn ; for the house and table decora¬ 
tions. 
A few good varieties are the following: —Andreanum, 
Beauty, Countess., Disraeli, Earl of Derby, Elegantissimum, 
Etna, Evansianum, Heathii Elegans, Jobanois, Lady Zetland, 
Mrs. Dorman, Mrs. Iceton, Mrs. Swan, Princess of Wales 1 , Sun¬ 
rise, Thomsonii, Undulatum, Van Oerstedii, Weismannii, War- 
renii, and Williamsii. Codiaeum. 
Chestnut-Growing in Italy.— The Sweet Chestnut is an 
important article of food in Italy, and the varieties have fruits 
four or five times the size of those grown in the United States 
and elsewhere. The peasant buds these ini a peculiar way. He 
first takes off a ring of the bark from some of the good varieties 
which lie wishes to increase. He then goes to a tree of some 
seedlings which he wishes to bud or to some old trees of a bad 
variety, and takes off the top of one or more branches till he 
reaches a portion of them which is exactly of the same thickness 
as the rings of bark which he has in his pocket. Then taking 
off a ring of bark from those he wishes to improve he slips on 
the ring of hark taken from good varieties. This bark must 
not fit on either too loosely or too tightly, otherwise, in the 
first instance, it will not be in direct communication with the 
bark of the branch on which it is placed, while, on the other 
hand, if put on too tightly it will be liable to burst or to injure 
the inner surface of the bark. The Sweet Chestnut is a native 
of Europe, Japan, and North America 
