the budding, to cut away now any lateral shoots from the stock, near where the bud is to be inserted: then, in a smooth part of the side of the stock, with the above-mentioned knife, make a cross cut into the rind or bark quite to the firm wood; then from the middle of the cross cut let another be made downwards, about an inch and a half or two inches in length, so that the two cuts together form a T, in which insert the bud. Then get one of your cuttings or shoots, and take off the bud in this manner :-You are to begin toward the lower or biggest end of the shoot; and, in the first place, cut off all the leaves, but observing to leave part of the foot-stalk of each remaining; then, about an inch below the lower bud, or eye, make a cross cut in the shoot, almost half way through, with the knife slanting upward, and with a clean cut bring it out about half an inch above the eye or bud, detaching the bud with part of the bark and wood thereto. Then immediately let that part of the wood which was taken off with the bud be separated from the bark in which is contained the bud; and this is readily done with your knife, placing the point of it between the bark and wood at one end, and so pull off the woody part, which will readily part from the bark: then quickly examine the inside to see if the internal eye of the bud be left; for if there appears a small hole, the eye is gone with the wood, and is therefore useless: take another: but if there be no hole, the bud is good, and is to be immediately inserted in the stock; observing, for the reception of the bud, to raise gently with the haft of your knife the bark of the stock on each side of the perpendicular slit, from the cross cut above, and directly introduce the bud with the bark side outward, inserting it gently in between the bark and the wood, placing it as smooth as possible, with the eye of the bud in the middle, and with its central points upwards; observing, if the bud be too long for the incision in the stock, shorten it accordingly, when inserted, by a clean cut of the knife, so as to make it slip in readily, and lie perfectly close in every part. Having thus fixed the bud, let the stock in that part be immediately bound round with a string of new bass mat, beginning a little below the cut, and proceeding upwards, drawing it closely round to about an inch above the top of the slit; but be sure to miss the eye of the bud, bringing the tying close to it below and above, only just leaving the eye of the bud open; tying the bandage close and neatly: and this finishes the work for the present.-In three weeks or a month after the inoculation is performed, the buds will have united with the stock, which is discoverable by the bud

appearing plump; and those that have not taken will appear black and decayed: therefore let the bandages of those which have taken be loosened; and this is done in order to give free course to the sap, that the bud, according as it swells, may not be pinched; for were the bandages suffered to remain as first tied, they would cramp the buds, and spoil them. To prevent this, it would be most advisable to loosen them all in about three weeks, or, at farthest, a month after budding; which concludes the work till next March; as until which time the bud remains dormant, then it shoots forth with vigour.-At that time, that is, the beginning of March, you are to observe, that as the heads of the stocks are still remaining, they must then be cut down near the place of inoculation, that the whole nourishment may go to that part, for the growth of the advancing bud shoot to form the future tree; therefore, observing to cut down or head each stock either about a hand's breadth above the insertion of the bud; and this part of the stock left above may remain till next spring, and will serve whereto to tie for support the main shoot which the bud of inoculation makes the first summer; or you may head the stock down at once almost close near the bud, or but a little above, cutting behind it in a slanting manner upward. The most general season to bud or inoculate is from about the beginning and middle of June, till near the same time in August, according to the forwardness in growth of the shoots of the different trees you would bud from.— Plums, apricots, peaches, and nectarines are thus propagated. Plums may be budded on sloes or plum suckers; apricots on their own or plum suckers; peaches and nectarines on almond stocks.

330. Laying-Figs, vines, filberts, and mulberries are thus propagated. Also some favourite evergreens and flowering shrubs, as laurustinus, arbutus, pyracantha, and others. The method of performing this is, by taking a young branch, making a slit in the bark, on the under side, just at an eye, and at such a distance from the stem as will allow of its being forked down some inches below the surface of the ground; from this slit roots will strike, and the following season, if required, the laid plants may be separated from the parent stem and removed. Exactly in the same manner carnations are propagated, and choice sorts of sweet-william, and others.

331. To strike Pinks.-The best time of doing this is when the old plants are in flower; and if you have a hand glass or oiled light, the following is the best way of doing it :-Into the space of earth you intend to occupy dig an equal quantity

of sand, and water it till it is about the consistence of stiff batter; then fix your glass on, to make a mark exactly to the extent of your room; with a small dibber make holes over this square, at the distance of an inch from each other; have ready your slips, pulled from different sorts of pinks, (they might as well be good sorts as bad ones,) mule pinks, &c. Let them be neatly trimmed; the shabby outside leaves picked off, and the tips of the other leaves clipped; plant one in each of the holes, pressing the mould to it with your fingers; then fix your glass firmly on, and plaster some wet mould round the edge of it, so that no air may get in. The glass may be shaded a little in the intense heat of the sun, but do not lift up the glass until you perceive that the pinks have struck and are growing; it may then be lifted up; the space weeded and watered, and earth loosened; air freely admitted; and in a few more days the glass need not be returned. These should be planted out in autumn in borders for flowering in the following spring.

332. Larkspurs.-To have this beautiful flower in perfection observe three things. First, The seed should lie a long time in the ground; the best time for sowing it is about the turn of the year, or the first mild weather that presents afterwards. Secondly, The finest larkspurs grow in an onion bed: if not too thick, they will not injure the crop of onions. Thirdly, They do not well bear transplanting; they should be sown where they are to flower, and when they come in blossom, be on the watch to pull up any single, shabby ones, as they appear.

CHAPTER X.

OF THE MANAGEMENT OF INFANTS.

333. IN the management of children, attention must be paid to their food, sleep, clothing, cleanliness, and exercise,and constant care and watchfulness will be found necessary.As soon as an infant is born it should be wrapped in a piece of fine soft flannel. If the flannel is not very fine, a piece of soft linen or calico should be tacked in the centre-as flannel, except the very finest sort, though proper to keep the body warm, is rather too harsh to come in contact with the skin

of a new-born infant. It should not be suffered to remain long before it is washed and dressed. The greater number of those affections of the lungs which appear in young infants, result from neglecting to wash and dress them for some time after the birth, from laying them where they are exposed to a current of air, and from the common, but most absurd and mischievous practice of washing the head with spirits. I have often found it difficult to restrain old nurses from doing this, and have pressed them to tell me why they considered it necessary or desirable. The general answer has been, to prevent its taking cold. This is a great mistake-very few persons would think it proper to wash the head of a new-born infant with cold water; but the use of gin or any other spirit is much more preposterous, and occasions a higher degree of cold than if cold water alone were applied. It is also irritating and painful to the tender skin.

334. A new-born infant should be well washed with a soft sponge, warm water, and soap; and perfectly dried with a soft towel.

335. The navel being properly secured with fine rag, a strip of new flannel, four or five inches deep, should be gently passed round the bowels. This bandage should be continued several months; it is frequently left off at the end of two or three weeks, and the child in consequence is often seized with violent cold, and bowel complaints, which bring on fits and ruptures.

336. The dress of an infant should be light and moderately warm; all tight bandages are hurtful. It is of great consequence to keep the chest, bowels, and feet warm.

337. Strings are often recommended instead of pins; but a child cannot be neatly dressed so; and it must be a careless, clumsy mother indeed who cannot pin her child's clothes securely. Where a pin is to be applied, let the nurse slip her left hand between the clothes and the child's flesh, and then turn the pin in and out several times, as she would in darning a stocking. This will answer the threefold end, of preventing the clothes being too tight-the child being pricked-or the pin dropping out. When we hear of pins dropping into the child's food, we may in general conclude that they were carelessly stuck-very probably in the nurse's cap or sideas slatternly and dangerous a practice as can be imagined. 338. Half a tea-spoonful of castor oil, with a very small quantity of soft sugar, may be given in order to open the bowels;-this cannot be injurious, though it is not in all cases

necessary.

339. The breasts of infants sometimes appear swollen-and it has been a too common practice of nurses to squeeze them in order to press out a fluid; this is never necessary, and always injurious. These swellings generally subside in a few days; if they should not, they may be bathed with warm water; or a little salad oil (warm) very gently rubbed in, morning and evening.

340. The first food an infant takes should be that which nature has provided for it—its mother's milk. It is a groundless and injurious notion, that the child ought not to be permitted to suck at first, either because there is not yet a supply of milk, or because the first milk is supposed to be unwholesome. The answer to both these notions is-the child's sucking is the very way to bring the milk;-and the first milk, so far from being injurious, is highly medicinal; let the child have plenty of that, and nothing else, and it is not likely to want any other medicine. If this one rule be steadily attended to, that the child is to be applied to the breast as soon as possible after it is born, and applied again and again, at the interval of a few hours, as often as the mother's strength will admit, until it sucks freely,—both mother and child will be spared a vast deal of unnecessary fatigue and suffering.But when a child is kept back a day or two from the breast, and supplied with other food, it then refuses to make the attempt at sucking,-as the breast becomes full and hard, the difficulty increases-perhaps suckling is even rendered impossible; the mother suffers from broken breast, or milk fever,and the child perhaps perishes from want of its proper nourishment. Many such instances have occurred, which might have been easily and altogether prevented by a timely and persevering application of the child to the breast.

341. There is nothing more essential to the health and comfort of an infant than thorough cleanliness. All children from the time they are a week old should be thoroughly washed twice a day. The whole body ought to be washed in the morning, and the lower half at night; for the first week or two the chill should be taken off the water; afterwards it may and ought to be used perfectly cold. A large soft sponge is the best thing to wash a child with. Every morning, after it has been carefully cleaned behind the ears, in the folds of the neck, &c., let the nurse hold it gently inclining over the bason, and several times filling the sponge, discharge the water over its head, then rub it thoroughly dry, and tie on a flannel cap, while it is being dressed; on removing the flannel cap, let the hair be brushed, not combed: children thus used will be found