126 
THE TREE POEONY. 
those already included in our collections are the true Moutan , 
with large purple flowers; papaveracea , having pure white blos¬ 
soms ; rosea, which, as the name expresses, is distinguished by 
its pale rose-coloured flowers; and Banksice, a purple variety 
very often confounded with the original species, to which, 
however, it is inferior in point of size, though perhaps a more 
liberal bloomer; all are highly desirable in every garden, espe¬ 
cially where forced flowers are in request at an early period of 
the season; and the cultivation is of the easiest description, as 
the following outline will make apparent. Their propagation is 
readily effected either by cuttings or layers, both requiring to be 
done when the new shoots are about half ripened; for the first 
method, those about three inches in length will be found the 
most suitable, and if taken off with a little piece of the old wood 
adhering, which is most readily done by “ slipping” rather than 
with the knife, and afterwards trimmed in the usual way, setting 
them in a pot filled with sandy peat, and plunging the latter into 
a cool shaded border without any covering, the cuttings will root 
quickly, and form good plants in the course of the autumn. It 
is found that when the cuttings are subject to heat, however low, 
their tissue becomes elongated, a weak growth expends their 
strength, and scarcely any roots are emitted, and with the confine¬ 
ment of a glass even out of doors, mouldiness is induced among the 
leaves, and no advantage accrues to compensate for this etiolation. 
Layers are easily formed of the longest shoots ; these should have 
their lower leaves trimmed off, and a tongue cut in that part of 
the branch which will come in contact with the earth when the 
former is bent downwards ; the tongue is formed by entering the 
knife just beneath a joint, and passing it upwards for about an 
inch and a half through the middle of the stem, thus splitting up 
a piece of the above length and half the substance of the branch ; 
as the wood is likely to be rather hard and stiff, it may be well 
to introduce a small wooden wedge beneath the tongue, to prevent 
its touching the other portion from which it has been severed, 
and to which it would again adhere was it allowed to resume its 
natural position ; the branch is then to be curved down, and the 
lower part covered with earth, it may be layed either into the bed 
in which the old plant is growing, or in a small pot placed so as 
to receive it; the latter is necessary in cases where there exists 
