87 



if it bends without breaking it is too yonng and soft or too old ; if 

 it splinters, it is too old and woody. 



The tips of strong upright shoots usually make the best cuttings. 



Preferably each cut- 

 ting should have a 

 joint or node near its 

 base ; and if the inter- 

 nodes are short, it may 

 comprise two or three 

 joints. Allow one to 

 three leaves to remain 

 at the top. If these 

 leaves are large, cut 

 them in two. 



Insert the cuttino- 



half or more its length 



in clean sand or gravel. 



Press the earth firmly 



about it. Throw a newspaper over the bed to exclude the light — 



if the sun strikes it — and to prevent too rapid evaporation. See 



that the soil is moist clear through, not on top only. 



48. — Rose cutting. More than one-half natural 



size. 



49, — Cutting-bed, slwwing carnations and roses. 



Mason's sand is good earth in which to start cuttings. Or fine 

 gravel — sifted of most of its earthy matter — may be used. If the 

 cuttings are to be grown in a window, put three or four inches of 

 the earth in a shallow box or a pan. A soap box cut in two length- 



479 



