BEDDING PLANTS FOR SPRING 201 
roses, zinnias, may all be started from seed. The 
greatest scret of success is to keep the plants from 
crowding, and keep pinched back to make bushy 
plants. Salvias and coleus are the tenderest of 
these plants. The others can go out to the frames, 
if room is scarce, as soon as the weather becomes 
settled. 
PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS 
The method of choosing and rooting cuttings has 
been outlined in a previous chapter (see page 29). 
In greenhouse work the main difference is that they 
are taken in much larger quantities. For this 
reason it is usually convenient to have a cutting 
bench instead of the flats or saucers used in root- 
ing house plants. The bench should be three or 
four inches deep, filled with medium coarse, gritty 
sand, or a substratum of drainage material. If 
possible, have it so arranged that bottom heat may 
be given — this being most conveniently furnished 
with pipes under the bench boxed in. (The temper- 
ature required for most cuttings will be fifty to fifty- 
five in the house with five to ten degrees more under 
the bench.) The cutting bench should also be so 
situated that it readily may be shaded, as one of the 
most important factors of success is to prevent the 
cuttings from wilting at any time — especially just 
after placing in the sand. After rooting, the cut- 
tings are put into small pots or flats as already ex- 
plained. 
