VIII.] 



SEEDLING ORANGES CARNATIONS 



45 



with sandy loam. Almost all sorts of trees and shrubs 

 carnations and other plants, may be easily rooted in 

 this way. A niche 

 made underneath a 

 trailing branch, and a 

 stone placed on it in 

 the autumn, will often 

 root an evergreen or 

 flowering shrub, which 

 is not easily pro- 

 pagated otherwise. 

 Carnations treated in 

 this way in July take 

 only a few weeks to 

 root, but woody plants are naturally very much slower. 



In the case of Cuttings the production of roots is the 

 result of the deposit of cellular tissue at the base, and the 

 formation of a lip called a "callus," from which roots 

 spring. There is a great variety in the selection and treat- 

 ment of cuttings ; in some cases soft green shoots are used, 

 in others the shoots must be half ripened, and sometimes 

 fully matured. Then again, some will root if cut or broken 

 off anywhere, and stuck into wet earth and sand in a warm 

 place. Others need to be cut with great care, just below a 

 joint. This indeed should be the rule. As to position, 

 many cuttings grow freely if they are planted in the open 

 border reserved for such things, shaded from a southern 

 sun. The less hardy things must be covered with a bell 



