Come, come with ancient Christmas,
To yonder hallow'd pile,

And hear the sounding anthem roll
Along the lengthened aisle ;
With footsteps slow, up let us go
Where our forefathers trod,
To worship there in fervent prayer,
And hear the man of God.

O Christmas! fleeting Christmas!
Thou ever beckonest on,

Though memory dwells o'er vanished hopes,
And loved ones dead and gone.
Thou must not stay, but far away,
Through Winter's dreary halls,
To greet the year thou dost appear,
The bright new year that calls.
And onward, ever onward,

Through realms of frost and snow,
Till Winter merges into Spring,

And wild March trumpets blow.
Soon will the day with lengthened ray,

Foretell the Summer flowers;

But while they're here, with social cheer

We'll spend the Christmas hours.

J. A. L.

And while we cheerfully spend the hours of this festive season, made joyful and happy by the reunion of families dispersed by the necessities of life over this vast empire, it is no unpleasant thought that now the shortest day is past, and soon the light of day will be prolonged, and one after another old flowers will appear, the sun will shine brighter, and the song of birds will become more frequent. But to those who possess a glass house for some choice exotics, spring is already at hand; though we have no indigenous flowers which bloom for us now, yet we have obtained from other lands plants which almost change winter into summer, and contradict the very elements which strive to prove it winter.

And not the least to be admired of these natives of foreign climes is the Epacris, the first imported of which (E. purpurascens) will display its flowers early in January, and soon will it be followed by some of its later known sisters. One variety, indeed (E. autumnalis), is even now blooming. This begins to show its flowers late in October, or early in November, and continues in bloom throughout the dreary winter, until April in the succeeding spring. The species of this beautiful genus are severally natives of New South Wales, New Holland, and Van Diemen's Land; countries which are even now peopled by our race and subject to our rule, and where all the loved institutions of our native land seem destined to be perpetuated.

PROPAGATION.-This beautiful order of plants is for the most part increased and propagated by cuttings; but, in order to obtain distinct and new varieties, recourse must be had to hybridization, which involves the necessity of raising plants from seed, the produce of such flowers as have been fecundated from another species or variety.

BY SEED.-The seed is sown in pans or widemouthed pots, supplied with good drainage, and filled up with soil formed of broken charcoal and sandy peat of a fibrous nature. The general management of seedlings is the same as that recommended for Heaths.

BY CUTTINGS.-This operation is performed in a similar manner to the like process in multiplying

Heaths. There is no great difficulty in the way of the amateur who desires to propagate his favourite varieties for himself, the chief care required being in the selection of the cuttings.

The first thing to be done is to provide a quantity of good peat, with about one-third sand. Then take a small pot, or more than one, if needed, and fill it half full or more with broken sherds of pots; upon these place a layer of the largest and roughest pieces of the peat, and above this layer put a quantity of sifted peat and silver sand mixed, of each about half, and at the top a layer of sand, somewhat less than an inch in thickness. Gently press down the sand, and shower a little water on the surface from a watering-pot, with a finely-perforated rose attached, to settle the sand. This done, proceed to make ready your cuttings. These should be taken from the side shoots, the recently-formed wood being selected; the separation from the parent plant being made near the junction of the shoot with the previous growth. The length of the cuttings may be about an inch. Having provided a sufficient number, carefully remove the lower leaves on the cuttings by a knife of extreme sharpness, so that they may be cut off without any injury being done to the bark. The cuttings being all prepared, take a bell-glass (already provided) which just fits within the rim of the pot, set it upon the surface of the contents of the pot, and press it down with sufficient force to mark the circle of the rim of the glass; remove the glass, and plant the cuttings in straight lines from one side of the circle to the other, but within it. If you strike several varieties or species in one

pot, then arrange each variety in separate rows. When all the cuttings are inserted in the sand, apply water gently, by which means the sand will be made to settle closely round the base of every cutting. In this condition let them remain until the water has evaporated from the leaves, taking care not to allow them to be exposed to the sun's rays; the water being thus dried off, place the bell-glasses on the pots, and set them in a little heat in a situation where they can be daily shaded from the solar rays. They must afterwards be attended to every day for several weeks, the glasses being taken off morning after morning, and all the condensed vapour carefully removed with a dry cloth. In the course of four or five weeks they will show signs of growth. If there appear to be a tendency to grow weakly, let the glasses be lifted off for a little time every morning.

AFTER-TREATMENT OF CUTTINGS.-A.S soon as the cuttings have made their roots, the young plants may be transferred to a house of lower temperature than that in which they have been started into independent life, there to continue for a few weeks, a similar course of treatment being adopted. In cloudy weather the glasses may be removed altogether, but when the sun shines brightly the plants will require to be shaded. Here the cuttings will be ready to pot off by about the end of July (assuming that they were struck near the end of May), which operation being duly performed, the temperature of a cold frame will best suit them. There they should be placed close to the glass, being shaded until they have

recovered the shock of their removal.

They will

not require any fresh potting until spring, but their growth should be watched, and, to promote the formation of branches near the surface of the soil, the top shoots must be immediately pinched off neatly, on their beginning to grow again.

POTTING. -Early in spring the young plants will be found to have filled the pots in which they were planted, if successfully grown, with a ball of roots. These will require to be shifted at this time into larger pots. They are prepared, previous to potting, by giving, them an ample supply of water, so as thoroughly to moisten the ball of roots. When this is neglected, and the plants have been transferred to their fresh pots with the roots in a dry state, it becomes necessary to plunge the pots in water, in order to moisten the ball by absorption, which is a very objectionable mode, being calculated to injure the roots. The plants being then first watered, and a sufficient time allowed for the excess of moisture to drain away, they are transferred into duly prepared pots, which are preferred new. If not new, it is the practice to cleanse them well, both within and without, and those pots are thought the best whose substance is rather soft and porous.

Although we have frequently spoken of the importance of drainage, we must not omit to urge its necessity in potting the Epacris; they are impatient of drought, yet neither can they bear the chilling influence of stagnant water around their delicate rootlets. Hence two or three layers of potsherds, each