erica; its management and culture. 237 
ject as subservient to practical purposes as possible, each opera¬ 
tion will be treated of under a distinct heading. 
Propagation. — -By Seed. This should be sown about the 
beginning of August, or the latter end of February : the former 
period, however, is preferable for this reason, that with ordinary 
success the seedlings will be sufficiently strong to stand the 
winter, and will be ready to pot off by the following spring; 
whilst by the latter, the plants will not be strong enough to pot 
off before the autumn, when it is dangerous to touch them ; and 
by leaving them too long in the seed pot they are apt to get 
drawn, and are likely, therefore, during unfavourable weather, 
to damp off. A great error is frequently committed in cover¬ 
ing the seed too thickly with soil: the many cases of failure are 
mainly attributable to this cause alone ; because the seeds 
being small, their power of growth must consequently be feeble, 
and they are unable to remove the mass which is placed over 
them. The most desirable method to follow is to drain a pot 
well with potsherds, over which put some rough siftings of peat, 
or other fibrous mixture ; then add the soil, which should be 
sandy peat, rather finely sifted; fill up with this to within half 
an inch of the rim, and, after being gently pressed down, leaving 
a level surface, sow thickly: finally, shake a small portion of 
silver sand over all, and, after watering with a fine-rosed pot, 
cover the mouth of the pot with a piece of common window 
glass, and place it in any cool situation near the glass. Such is 
the method I have followed, and which has been attended with 
the greatest success. 
By Cuttings. 7 This method of increasing stock has many 
advantages very superior to that by seed — for this reason, that 
plants raised in this manner are more precocious, more hardy, 
and less succulent in their growth; they partake of the same 
nature, and are as mature in every part as those from which 
they were taken. Thus we find that young plants from cut¬ 
tings, when once properly established, are frequently covered with 
bloom at their regular flowering season ; while some years must 
pass before the same degree of maturity will be arrived at by 
plants from seed. To increase this genus by seed is therefore 
seldom resorted to without novelties be the object in view: it 
is, however, a singular fact connected with this subject, and one 
sufficiently demonstrated by every-day practice, that a cutting 
a a 3 
