THE JOYOUS ART OF GARDENING 



Slips. A "slip" is a green or soft cutting. Because the 

 word is little used by gardeners, rarely met in garden books, 

 but much used by amateur gardeners (who extend it sometimes 

 over some of the larger area belonging to cuttings), I have 

 stopped to explain about the two. 



Among indoor plants the majority of cuttings are made 

 in the early spring or during the winter; but some may be 

 made in summer. Among the 

 plants which lend themselves 

 to this use are the shrubby 

 begonias not the tuberous or 

 the Rex varieties verbenas, 



fuchsias, geraniums, coleus and ' ^ * T 



many other bedding plants. 

 These are usually ready for slipping in late August. To make 

 certain, try breaking off a piece. If the stem bends, as flower- 

 stems often do when one is trying to pick them, then the 

 "wood" is too soft, and it is better to wait a while. But if the 

 stem snaps, then cuttings can be made in the latter part of 

 August and early September with an easy conscience and a 

 reasonable expectation of success. 



GET MATERIALS READY FIRST 



A good cook never begins operations until all the ma- 

 terials and utensils are at hand; neither does a good gardener. 



Plant infants need a rather different soil from that which 

 they can digest in later life. The soil for cuttings (grown in- 

 doors) should always be sifted or screened. A coarse, sharp, 

 clean sand is the very best, a sand inclining to gravel rather 

 than extreme fineness. "Propagating sand" may be had from 

 any florist, but soil quite as good may often be found in any 

 sand-bank. Good drainage is essential. 



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