26 



ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION 



67. It is not always easy to find growing shoots from 

 which to make the cuttings. The best practice, in that 

 case, is to cut back an old plant, then keep it warm and well 

 watered, and thereby force it to throw out new shoots. The 

 old geranium plant from the window-garden, or the one 

 taken up from the lawn bed, may be treated this way. 

 See Fig. 38. The best plants of geranium and coleus and 

 most window-plants are those that are not more than one 



year old. The ge- 

 ranium and fuchsia 

 cuttings that are 

 made in January, 

 February, o r 

 March will give 

 compact blooming 

 plants for the next 

 winter; and there- 

 after new ones 

 take their places. 

 (Fig. 39.) 



68. The Hard- 

 wood Cutting. 

 Best results are 

 secured when the 

 cuttings are made 

 in the fall and then buried until spring in sand in the cellar. 

 These cuttings are usually 6 to 10 inches long. They are not 

 idle while they rest. The lower end calluses or heals, and 

 the roots form more readily when the cutting is planted in 

 the spring. But if the proper season has passed, take cut- 

 tings at any time in winter, plant them in a deep box in the 

 window, and watch. They will need no shading or special 

 care. Grape, currant, willow and poplar readily take root 

 from the hardwood. Fig. 40 shows a currant cutting. It has 

 only one bud above the ground. 



39. Early winter geranium, from a spring cutting. 



