April  11,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
299 
Having  enumerated  all  the  material  necessary,  and  supposing  that 
they  are  at  hand,  we  have  now  only  to  wait  until  the  stocks  are  com¬ 
mencing  to  move,  and  the  weather  settled.  Choosing  a  calm,  moist 
mild  day  for  our  operations,  our  first  care  will  be  to  see  that  the  wax  is 
kept  in  a  liquid  state,  but  on  no  account  may  it  be  applied  at  a  high 
temperature. 
In  proceeding  to  operate,  first  cut  over  the  stock  in  a  slightly 
slanting  direction  at  about  5  inches  from  the  ground,  then  have  your 
shoots  cut  in  lengths  of  about  6  inches,  discarding  everything  that 
appears  to  be  soft  or  not  properly  ripened.  Now  take  the  scion  and  cut 
in  a  slanting  direction,  commencing  at  about  2  inches  from  the  base, 
and  finishing  thinly,  leaving  a  tongue  at  about  half  an  inch  from  the 
beginning  of  the  cut,  then  measure  by  the  scion  the  length  of  slice 
required  to  be  taken  off  the  stock,  making  a  notch  at  the  top  in  which 
to  fit  the  tongue  of  the  scion  so  as  to  retain  it  in  position  until  tied. 
This  charming  shrub  is  far  too  seldom  seen  in  gardens,  and  even 
where  it  is  included  in  collections  it  is  commonly  in  such  indifferent 
condition  that  its  real  beauty  cannot  be  imagined  by  those  who  have 
never  seen  it  well  grown.  When,  however,  it  is  thoroughly  healthy  and 
bearing  a  profusion  of  its  rosy  Lapageria-like  flowers,  it  is  certainly 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  shrubs  that  can  be  grown  in  a  cool  house. 
I  had  a  plant  in  the  greenhouse  twenty  years,  and  it  made  no 
progress — neither  bloomed  nor  throve,  so  I  told  one  of  my  men  to 
throw  it  into  the  wood ;  he  did  so,  without  the  pot,  under  some  large 
trees  where  the  sun  never  shone.  It  remained  there  all  the  winter,  and 
I  happened  to  pass  the  same  place  in  May,  and  to  my  surprise  it  was  in 
full  bloom,  the  most  lovely  plant  I  had  seen  for  a  long  time,  flowering 
PHILESIA  BUXIFOLIA. 
The  scion  having  been  fitted  accurately,  it  is  important  to  watch  in 
tying  that  the  two  cambium  layers  coincide,  and  that  the  scion  adheres 
to  the  stock  the  whole  length  of  the  cut.  All  that  is  now  required  is  to 
seal  carefully  round  about  the  matting,  leaving  no  chink  into  which  the 
air  can  get,  and  finish  off  by  touching  the  top  of  the  scion.  In  grafting 
old  trees  which  have  been  cut  down,  strong  scions  should  be  selected, 
and  rind-grafting  substituted  for  the  common  whip  graft.  Cut  the 
scion  in  the  same  manner  as  detailed  above,  and  with  a  budding  knife 
or  ivory  raise  the  bark  and  insert  the  scion,  tying  and  sealing  over  as 
before. 
The  previous  season’s  wood  is  employed  for  all  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees  with  a  few  exceptions,  notably  the  Weeping  Willow,  when  two 
years’  wood  gives  better  results.  To  insure  success  the  following  rules 
should  be  observed  : — 1,  Fit  your  grafts  accurately  ;  2,  let  as  little  time 
as  possible  elapse  between  cutting,  tying,  and  waxing  ;  3,  choose  a 
suitable  day,  and  on  no  account  attempt  the  operation  during  frost  or 
rain. — W.  L.,  Edinburgh. 
amongst  weeds  and  leaves.  I  carefully  took  it  back  into  the  house,  but 
it  refused  to  grow,  and  looked  as  if  it  were  most  uncomfortable. 
I  then  potted  it  in  bog  soil,  not  peat,  and  placed  it  into  a  pit  in  one 
corner,  where  it  has  not  been  exposed  to  the  sun’s  rays  for  ten  years. 
The  pit  has  a  north  aspect  and  no  artificial  heat,  and  there  it  stands  and 
blooms  every  May,  lasting  six  weeks  in  beauty.  I  think  it  is  a  bog  plant, 
for  the  pot  is  always  covered  with  green  slime,  and  it  will  take  any 
quantity  of  water ;  it  produces  large  stems  each  season,  like  the  Lapageria. 
Philesia  buxifolia  is  a  native  of  South  America.  It  is  found  growing 
in  large  masses  upon  the  trunks  of  trees,  amongst  rooks,  and  in  boggy 
positions,  where  it  assumes  such  a  beautiful  appearance  that  Sir  Joseph 
Hooker  has  characterised  it  as  one  of  the  most  handsome  shrubs  of  the 
antarctic  American  flora.  . 
It  is  closely  allied  to  Lapageria  rosea.  The  flowers  of  the  Philesia 
closely  resemble  the  Lapageria,  being  of  wax-like  substance,  bright  lose 
in  colour,  and  drooping.  The  leaves  are  narrow  and  dark  green,  some¬ 
what  suggestive  of  Box,  from  which  the  specific  name  is  derived.  0 
