270 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
interesting subjects beside many other plants not needful to 
name, and in the selection of which the cultivator must be left 
to exercise his own judgment; yet cacti, from their grotesque 
habits, will present themselves to his notice first, and if advan- 
tange is taken of grafting one species or variety on another, a 
succession of curious and beautiful objects will be obtained. In 
the preparation of plants for this purpose, good, healthy, and 
strong-rooted specimens should be selected, and they should be 
placed in their respective baskets orvasesat about the present time, 
that they may become thoroughly established before the bloom¬ 
ing season, when particular attention should be paid that they 
receive sufficient water, as from their direct exposure to the sun 
the moisture contained in the earth about them speedily evapo¬ 
rates ; this may be obviated in some instances by fixing a vessel 
holding water by the side of the plant, and from the neck of the 
water-vessel conduct a piece of woollen cloth to the earth of the 
plant; one end of the cloth to be placed in the water, and the 
other on the earth,—a constant moisture is thus imparted to the 
roots of the plant, through the cloth ; however, in my estimation 
the little extra trouble occasioned is amply repaid by the varied 
and graceful beauty imparted to the collection. 
G. Redding. 
ON THE RUS8ELIA JUNCEA. 
We have been requested by a correspondent to state the best 
method of treating the Russelia juncea, in order to induce a 
vigorous growth and fine bloom, and we proceed to do it to the 
best of our ability, freely confessing at the outset that we have 
always found it a difficult plant to flower, not but that on a 
moderately sized specimen the flowers might number two hundred, 
still that is not what we think it capable of producing. There 
are various opinions as to which is the best treatment; some 
cultivators consider a continuous growth encouraged by con¬ 
stant stimuli, or what is technically called growing it hard, to be 
the best; others have a contrary method, namely, the flowering 
state is brought about by a check, such as after getting the plant 
