Plants in Relation to Man 



501 



among which may be mentioned the rose, geranium, currant, 

 quince, grape, and sugar cane. In fact some plants, like the 

 sugar cane, have been propagated in this way for so long that 

 they seem to be quite unable to produce seed that will grow. 

 Cuttings from willow or grapevines, for example, grow promptly 

 if planted in moist, warm, well-aerated soil. The willow 

 develops roots from either end, but the grape does best from 

 the end that was nearest the root of the parent plant. 



Exercise. Plant a grape cutting, eight or more inches long, with 

 at least two buds in the soil and one or more above the surface. If 

 this is done in a germinating box, the differences in the development 

 of the buds may be observed. 



Budding. The most common method of propagating choice 

 varieties of fruit trees, as cherry, plum, apricot, orange, and 

 such plants as roses, is 

 by budding. This is a 

 method most economical 

 of buds, when the sup- 

 ply is rare and limited, 

 and requires less time 

 for growth of plants to 

 productiveness. Bud- 

 ding is generally done in 

 late summer when the 

 bark is readily separated FlG " 157 ' ~ Diagram to show steps in budding ' 

 from the wood. Seedlings about one year old are usually 

 selected for budding. They are selected from a stock which 

 combines the characters necessary for a vigorous, healthy, 

 productive plant. Buds are cut, as shown in Fig. 157 (a), 

 from young stems or scions which have first been separated 

 from the plant. The small amount of wood removed from the 

 stem with the bud must be picked from the bark carefully so 

 as not to injure the bud. The bud is inserted, as in (c), into a 

 T-cut in the bark (6) which is about four or five inches above 

 the ground. The bark is then firmly pressed and bound around 



