FICUS ELASTIC A. 



333 



again put around the cutting as before de- 

 scribed, and left for a week or two longer. 

 If on examination the base of the cutting 

 shows signs of decay instead of rooting, it 

 should be severed entirely from the plant. 

 In this case the cutting could then be short- 

 ened a joint or two at the base, and placed 

 in a four inch pot filled with sharp sand. 

 Place the pot in a shaded warm part of the 

 green-house or window and keep the sand 

 moist. A plant may possibly be obtained in 

 this way. 



The best time of the year for striking cut- 

 tings of the Ficus, whether by ordinary or 

 moss cuttings, is during July and August. 

 A warm, sheltered, and fairly well shaded 

 position in the greenhouse or conservatory, 

 is the best place for the plant to ensure suc- 

 cess with this method of mossing cuttings. 

 A greenhouse, however, is not absolutely 

 necessary to be successful, as I have rooted 

 cuttings by this method out of doors during 

 the hot months of summer by standing the 

 plants in a warm, veil sheltered position. 



In potting the cutting most of the moss 

 should be first removed and the plant se- 

 curely staked. The leaves should also be 

 tied together fairly tight, so as to prevent 

 the cutting from shifting about in the pot. 

 Use light sandy soil for the first potting, 

 and not too rich. Water the cutting 

 rather sparingly until it has become well 

 rooted in the pot, and keep it in a warm 

 shaded place for a time. I have attempted 

 to describe as clearly as possible the method 

 of rooting cuttings by mossing them, some 

 allowance, however, must be made as to 

 depth and length of incision, length of cut- 

 ting, etc., as these must of necessity vary 

 a little according to the growth of the branch 

 made use of. 



Single Joint Cuttings. — These cuttings con- 

 sist ot a single joint with leaf attached. The 

 best part of the branch to secure these cut- 

 tings from, is from a few joints above and 

 below the part of the branch described as 



suitable for cuttings for mossing. Insert 

 the cutting firmly in sharp sand, so that the 

 base of the leaf and stem at the joint is just 

 under the surface of the sand. A shallow 

 box about two inches deep, well drained 

 and filled with sand, will perhaps be better 

 than pots for these cuttings, as they are less 

 liable to be shifted about in the sand. These 

 pots or boxes — as the case may be — of cut- 

 tings can be placed in a warm shaded part 

 of the greenhouse, or in a frame that should 



Fig. 2"7i. 

 ficus cutting with "heel." 



be covered closely with a sash thickly 

 shaded, so as to exclude the direct rays ot 

 the sun. Careful watering so as to keep 

 the sand always fairly moist is necessary to 

 be successful with these cuttings. I have 

 known cuttings of this kind to strike root 

 successfully when the pots have been placed 

 in a window. Single joint cuttings, how- 



