PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 99 



that will stand and require a hot-house temperature is 

 their growth, such as Poinsettias, Bouvardias, Coleus, Cler- 

 odendrons, etc. These propagate more freely in a tem- 

 perature 20 degrees higher than that laid down for general 

 guidance. 



The shading of the glass, to prevent the temperature 

 from rising in the house, is done in various ways, some 

 using canvas, or bast-matting, or painting the glass with 

 lime or whitewash. We find the cheapest and most con- 

 venient shading to be that formed by screens made of 

 common lath nailed an inch apart to a frame the size of 

 the sash, (3x6). This gives an ever-varying, modified 

 shade, sufficiently cooling to the house, yet not darkening 

 the cutting enough to impair its vigor. These are not 

 put on in the morning until the temperature inside indi- 

 cates it to be necessary, and are taken off in the after- 

 noon as soon as the sun ceases to shine on the glass, for it 

 is of the utmost importance that the cuttings receive as 

 much light as they will bear without becoming wilted. 

 Cuttings rooted in too much shade, and at a high temper- 

 ature, are drawn up spindling, and take months to recover 

 from the injury done by this injudicious treatment. The 

 time required by cuttings to root varies from 5 to 20 days, 

 according to the variety, condition of the cutting, and 

 temperature. Verbenas, Fuchsias, or Heliotropes, put in in 

 proper condition, and kept without ever being allowed to 

 wilt, will root in an average bottom heat of 65, in 8 days, 

 while Roses, Pelargoniums, or Petunias, will take at least 

 double that time under the same conditions. 



Another point of importance, and one too often neglect- 

 ed, is to pot off the cuttings at once when rooted, no mat- 

 ter how small the roots may be ; half an inch is a much 

 better length for them to be when potted than two inches, 

 and the operation is much more quickly performed when 

 the roots are short than when long. But the main evils 

 of delaying the potting off of cuttings are, that when 



