254 



The Weekly Florists' Review- 



FEBRUARY 9, 1S99. 



When the delicate extended portion of 

 the growing cell has attained a cer- 

 tain length, a transverse wall is 

 formed behind the apex, and the latter 

 grows on farther. As the cells, which 

 bulge out in this manner and divide, 

 are very closely set, long rows of cells 

 will soon be formed which go on grow- 

 ing to the end, and being firmly packed 

 together, form a delicate white tissue. 

 As long as this soft tissue continues 

 to grow at one end, and thus increases 

 its bulk, it is termed callus. 



But after a while the plastic sub- 

 stances which are being passed down 

 from the cutting to the callus find 

 the path through all the callus cells 

 to the extremity too long to traverse. 

 The diffusion of the food matter does 

 not take place sufficiently actively to 

 the margin of the callus, and the 

 growth ceases at that region. Instead 

 of that within the callus an arched 

 strip of tissue makes its appearance, 

 and its cells continue to increase in 

 number. This strip of meristem be- 

 comes confluent with the cambium of 

 the cutting and represents the con- 

 tinuation of the cambium within the 

 layer of callus. Within the latter it 

 now continues to form bast cells on 

 the outside and on its inside new wood 

 elements, and this forms the actual 

 covering layer. The covering layers 

 at the lower end of the callus do not 

 differ in any essential manner from 

 those formed in the healing of a 

 pruned branch, except that no green 

 coloring matter is formed, owing to 

 the absence of sunlight. 



« « « 



In the case of shrubs with decidu- 

 ous leaves the best time for taking 

 cuttings of woody portions is the be- 

 ginning of winter, or, in the case of 

 shoots which will not be damaged by 

 the frost, the latter part of the winter 

 immediately before the active growth 

 of the spring takes place. Strong 

 slips cut back to three or four eyes 

 should be bound up in bundles and 

 placed in a cellar, or only temporarily 

 covered with soil, and when the spring 

 approaches be planted in rows in a 

 north aspect, with only about two eyes 

 projecting from the soil. In this way 

 old wood which has been pruned away 

 in the early spring may be used for 

 cuttings. This at least answers in the 

 case of Rosa. Weigelia, Cornus, Deiit- 

 zia, Lonicera, Ribes, Spirea, etc. 



The callus formation in the case 

 of herbaceous cuttings is somewhat 

 different. Generally more tissues 

 take part in the healing process. It 

 Is here especially the pith which forms 

 the bulk of the callus; the older cor- 

 tical tissues may, however, be very ac- 

 tive. Even the vessels of the wood 

 may take part in this formation of 

 callus (Begonia, Thunbergia), as the 

 cavities of the vessels may become 

 blocked with thyllosis. which may 

 grow out over the cut surface. 



Propagation by means of such herb- 

 aceous cuttings is tue most advantage- 

 ous means of propagating plants, and 

 this is true of woody plants too, only 

 the treatment of the cuttings is quite 



a different one. We must always re- 

 member that when the tip of a shoot 

 is used as a cutting, its callus and ad- 

 ventitious roots are not formed from 

 reserve food matter which has been 

 stored in its tissues at some previous 

 period, but that the materials neces- 

 sary for these growths have to be 

 formed by the cutting after separa- 

 tion from the parent plant. As soon 

 as a portion of a plant is dependent 

 for its food upon its leaves, we know 

 that it needs light. Herbaceous cut- 

 tings therefore need light, and com- 

 paratively much light, while woody 

 cuttings can do with very little light, 

 at the outset at least. 



The herbaceous cutting is taken be- 

 fore its axis is much lignifled. The 

 cut surface exposes tissues which have 

 as yet no thickened cell-walls. The 

 cells are rich in protoplasm and cell 

 sap, are more prone to changes and 

 decomposition, and require, therefore, 

 an increased stimulus to continue the 

 vegetative process in spite of the 

 wound which has been inflicted. This 

 stimulus is provided by the increase 

 of temperature. Herbaceous cuttings 

 require, therefore, more heat than 

 cuttings of the same species taken 

 from older portions of the plant. In 

 some cases, indeed, the temperature 

 requisite for herbaceous cuttings is 

 harmful for the woody cuttings, be- 

 cause it calls forth certain changes 

 (possibly of a fermentative nature), 

 the products of which cannot be used 

 up at the time, and therefore cause 

 decay. 



We must remember, on the other 

 hand, that the wound itself cannot 

 be healed at once, and that the soft 

 cuttings lose considerable amounts of 

 water from their leaf surface by 

 transpiration, and this at the time 

 they are without roots which could 

 supply the requisite amount of water. 

 We must, therefore, reduce in the 

 first instance the transpiration with- 

 out taking away the leaves. This can 

 be done either by shading the cuttings 

 or by keeping the air saturated with 

 moisture. Every decrease of the 

 amount of light diminishes also the 

 amount of transpiration. In a damp or 

 saturated atmosphere, too. the trans- 

 piration of the leaves is reduced. 



Herbaceous cuttings require, there- 

 fore, at the outset a moist atmos- 

 phere. We purposely say at the out- 

 set, because it is a frequent source 

 of error to continue this for too long 

 a time. Absence of light and a large 

 amount of atmospheric moisture re- 

 duces the assimilation of the leaves 

 also to a minimum, and therefore de- 

 cay often sets in on the cut surface 

 and the cuttings are doomed. Herb- 

 aceous cuttings should, therefore, 

 only be shaded during the first few 

 days and should very soon become ac- 

 customed to the normal illumination. 

 After that allow the air to circulate 

 among the leaves, and do not be afraid 

 of the drooping of the leaves when 

 the sun is shining on the cuttings. 

 Gradually the cuttings will get ac- 

 customed to a more sunny and drier 



atmosphere, even if they have as yet 

 no roots. 



The great mistake in the treatment 

 of herbaceous cuttings is to water 

 them too much and to keep them too 

 much closed in, in order to prevent 

 them drooping. Even the most porous 

 substance in which the cuttings are 

 placed will act deleteriously if it be- 

 comes water-logged. The oxygen of 

 the air is then prevented from reach- 

 in the delicate cut surface, fermenta- 

 tive changes commence in the cells, 

 and the decay of the cut surface be- 

 gins. 



Herbaceous cuttings always require 

 a well-aerated soil. 



The art of the cultivator consists in 

 executing these precepts in the way 

 most suited to the individuality of the 

 cuttings. 



THE FLORISTS' REVIEW 



G. L. GRANT, Editor and Manager. 



PUBLISHED E\^RV THURSDAY SV 



THE FLORISTS' PUBLISHING CO. 



520-535 Caxton Building. Chicago, 



334 Dearborn Street. 



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Copyright iSoq. 



BOSTON. 



The Market. 



Business, this weelv, has been very 

 satisfactory, and good stoclt has been 

 well cleaned up every day. Roses have 

 again been a leader, and the range of 

 prices are about the same as last weelj. 

 Brides and Maids, run all the way from 

 50c to $2.00 per dozen; Meteors, $1.00 

 to $1.50; Beauties of fair quality to ex- 

 tras, from $1.00 to $8.00. 



Carnations, of good quality, have 

 sold well all the week, ijut there are 

 large quantities of inferior grades 

 which rather control the prices. Scotts 

 and whites are held at from $1.50 to 

 $2.00 per 100. Daybreaks bring a trifle 

 more, some of the better grades of 

 flowers, running as high as $3.00 per 

 100, with strictly fancy varieties going 

 from that to $6.00 per 100. Violets 

 have been the dragt thisyweek, 35 and 

 50 cents per 100 being an average fig- 

 ure. 



Harrisii lilies are not sO' plentiful, 

 $2.00 is the asking price; callas, $1.50 

 per dozen; bulb goods about the same 

 as our last quotations, with plenty of 

 odds and ends which sell well. 



The Saturday Exhibition. 



Owing to the exhibition, Which was 

 partly devoted to carnations, quite a 



