THE GARDENING WORLD. August 31, 1967. 
Propagating Bedding Plapts. 
582 
This is long lasting and slow in its action, 
thereby being more useful than quicklime, 
which is really not required. You would 
require about a barrowload of the rubble 
to every two cartloads of the compost. Al¬ 
low this to settle for some weeks before 
planting, .and you should also tread it firmly 
if you intend planting in October. “ Select 
Carnations, Picotees, and Pinks” gives 
much information about all classes of Car¬ 
nations and Picotees. It likewise gives in¬ 
formation as to the preparation of soil, the 
renovation of old borders on p. 31, raising 
from- seed, and by layers and cuttings. The 
book is obtainable from this office at 2s. 3d. 
in paper covers, and 2s. qd. cloth boards, 
post free. The instructions are intended 
for the use of amateurs. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
2157. Index of “Gardening World.” 
Wall you kindly let me know, through the 
“ Enquire Within ” column of The Garden¬ 
ing World, when you published your last 
index, and when you will be publishing 
the next? I have many back numbers by 
me. They are good for reference, but I 
cannot find any index. (Torridge, Devon.) 
Our last index was published with the 
issue for December 29th, 1906, so that you 
must have dropped it out of your copy. 
This year the index will be published on 
December 28th. 
NAMES OF PLANTS. 
(E. R. W.) The Poplar-leaved Sedum 
(Sedum populiiol'ium).—(A. M., Surrey) '1 he 
Caper Spurge (Euphorbia Lathyris).—(C. 
B. G.) Nos, i and 2 are species of Vetches 
introduced among seeds for chickens, 
amongst fodder, and possibly as packing 
material. We have no descriptions of 
them; 3, Atrip,lex patula angustifolia ; 4, 
Chenopodium urbicum (a scarce plant).—(A. 
Cox), Plume Poppy (Bocconia cordata).— 
(A. R. J.) 1, Mlalva moschata; 2, Sidalcea 
malvaeflora; 3, Geranium Endressii; 4, 
Lathyrus rotundifolius; 5, Veronica longi- 
folia rosea; 6, Chrysanthemum lacusitre; 7, 
Monarda didyma.—(R. M.) 1, Thymus Ser- 
pyllun^ citriodorus aureus variegatus; 2, 
Antennaria dioica tomentosa; 3, Saxifraga 
hypnoides; 4, Arabis lucida variegata; 5, 
Aubrietia delioidea variegata.—(J. S.) 1, 
Sedum sarmentosum carneum; 2, Sedium 
Ewersii; 3, Sedum spurium splendens ; —(A. 
L. Stopford) 1, Spiraea Douglasii; _ 2, 
Veronica Traversii; 3, Lonicera japonica 
flexuosa; 4, Teccma radicans.—(T. Heard) 
1, Nepeta Glechoma variegata; 2, Lysi- 
machia Nummularia; 3, Lippia citriodora 
or Scented Verbena. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Webb and Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge. 
—Webbs’ Bulbs. 
E. H. Krelage and Son, Haarlem, Hol¬ 
land. — General Catalogue for 1907-8. 
Frank Dicks and Co., 68, Deansgate, 
Manchester.— Bulb and Rose Catalogue. 
Vilmorin Andrieux et Cie, 4, Quai de la 
Megisserie, Paris. — Catalogue of Flowering 
Bulbs and Strawberries ; also Seeds for 
Autumn Sowing. 
Bees, Ltd., Wapping, Liverpool.—Bees’ 
Bulbs for Early Planting. 
McHattie and Co., Northgate Street and 
St. Werburgh’s Place, Chester. — McHattje’s 
Autumn List of Bulbous Flower Roots. 
B. S. Williams and Son, Victoria and 
Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway, Lon¬ 
don, N.—Descriptive Catalogue of Bulbs, 
Roots, Forcing Plants, etc. 
Once August gets well under way it is 
time to think seriously of propagating 
such bedding plants as it is deemed de¬ 
sirable to increase by cuttings. There 
are two chief reasons for this early pro¬ 
pagation, one, that cuttings at the latter 
end of August strike with far greater 
facility than when the nights have begun 
to turn chilly; two, that early struck cut¬ 
tings quickly grow to a good size, and can 
be ventilated and exposed in such a man¬ 
ner when rooted as to enable them to 
stand the winter without loss. There is 
a third consideration, also of some im¬ 
portance, viz., should a failure occur with 
a batch of cuttings, there is still plenty 
of time to put in another lot. 
For this early propagation the green¬ 
house may be entirely dispensed with, and 
reliance placed on a clean, cold frame. 
This frame should be stood to face the sun 
and in a place where it gets all the sun 
possible. Not that we want the sun to 
shine on and scorch up our cuttings. No¬ 
thing of the sort; but we want the heat 
that the sun gives, and we can easily take 
the sting out of his rays with a mat or 
piece of old carpet. Many gardeners at 
this time of the year place the propagat¬ 
ing frame in a shady position, and while 
this may answer for Fuchsias, Ageratums, 
Violas, and such easily struck things, it 
fails altogether to root Alternantheras, 
Coleuses, and Mesembryanthemums. 
The frame should be well scrubbed and 
the glass made quite clean, using plenty 
of water and “elbow-grease” in the pro¬ 
cess, for it is probable that lots of insect 
pests will have taken up their abode in the 
frame if it has been lying idle for any 
length of time. In the bottom of the 
frame a 3 in. layer of coal ashes should 
be placed, raked level, thoroughly soaked 
with water, and patted down hard with the 
back of a spade. This will keep worms 
down, enable the propagating pans or 
pots to be stood level, and promote the 
moist, genial atmosphere which is so 
essential to successful propagation. 
The Propagating- Pans. 
These may be either round or square, 
shallow or deep. Round ones are the 
more common, but square ones win where 
space is precious, as they more economic¬ 
ally fill frame space. Failing pans, pots 
are used, but they are not nearly so good 
as pans. Unless half filled with crocks 
and drainage material, they hold far too 
much soil, the surplus soil generally goes 
sour before it is wanted by the roots. 
Whether pans or pots are used they 
should be scrubbed quite clean, as if the 
sides are at all dirty roots will cling to 
them and make the potting off of the cut¬ 
tings unnecessarily bothersome and pre¬ 
carious. After washing, they should be 
stood in the sun to dry, and when dry have 
a nice layer of drainage material placed 
in the bottom. 
The Soil. 
This is important, and should be at 
once light and open; soil that is heavy 
and not thoroughly porous is useless foi 
striking delicate cuttings. In my owr 
experience I have found nothing better 
than a mixture of equal parts of loam 
leaf mould, and very coarse sand. The 
loam should be pounded on the potting 
bench and pulled to pieces with the hand 
the leaf mould should be rubbed up fine 
and with the sand thoroughly incor¬ 
porated with the loam. The whole should 
then be sifted through a 5 in. mesh sieve, 
and the fine and coarse portions kept in 
separate heaps. In filling the pans, 
place a good handful of the coarse com¬ 
post in the bottom, then fill up to within 
^ in. of the top with the sifted soil. Make 
level and fairly firm with the bottom of 
another pan, scatter on sufficient fine sil¬ 
ver sand to well whiten the surface, and 
the pan is ready for the cuttings. 
The Cuttings. 
W'hether these be Fuchsias, Geraniums 
Verbenas, Ageratums, Marguerites 
Coleuses, Mesembryanthemums, Helio¬ 
tropes, or any other of the plants com¬ 
monly used for bedding, there is ven 
little difference in the taking and making 
of them. In all cases the ends of young 
growing shoots are employed, removing 
any flowers or flower buds that they may 
- carry. The length of the cutting is im¬ 
material, only it is well to remember that 
short shoots strike more readily and with 
less trouble than long ones. If a cutting 
is long enough to allow one joint to be 
buried in the soil and two joints to remain 
out of the soil, it is about right. If cut¬ 
tings are plentiful, a point should be made 
of severing them just below a leaf. This 
leaf should be cut away close to the stem 
before inserting the cutting. The reason 
for preferring^ a leaf joint at the base ol 
the cutting is'that there is an accumula¬ 
tion of sap there, destined to nourish the 
bud in the leaf axil, and this store ol 
nutriment ensures early and strong roots. 
If cuttings are scarce, any part of a cur¬ 
rent year’s shoot may be employed, but a 
little more care is then necessary. 
Managing the Frame. 
After the cuttings are firmly inserted, 
they should be well watered in through a 
fine rosed can, and stood in the prepared 
frame. The light should then be placed 
in position and tightly closed, laying a 
mat on the glass if the sun is shining on 
the frame. The next and subsequent 
mornings the light should be pushed back 
clean off the frame, and left thus for half- 
an-hour or so; this is to allow all stale 
moisture to disperse. When the leaves 
of the cuttings are dried, sprinkle very 
lightly with a fine rosed can, shut up the 
frame tightly, and put on a mat. Pos¬ 
sibly two mats will be required in very 
sunny weather, for the cuttings should 
never be allowed to flag. For this rea¬ 
son the lights should always be removed 
to dry the cuttings before the sun reaches 
the frame in the morning. About a 
fortnight after insertion, a little air should 
be allowed on the frame all day, and this! 
should be gradually increased until the 
light can be removed altogether. If all 
