78 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



In the preparation of cuttings that have been taken off 

 close to the tuber it will suffice to remove the lower pair of 

 leaves, but in the case of the others cut away the lower 

 portion of the stem immediately under the base of the two 

 lower leaves, which must then be cut off close to the stem. 

 The cuttings may be rooted singly in 2-inch pots, or in 

 threes inserted round the sides of 3-inch pots, and as there 

 is some economy of space by the latter method it is prefer- 

 able in the majority of private gardens. For filling the cut- 

 ting pots use a rather light loam of good quality to which 

 sharp silver sand has been added in the proportion of one 

 part sand to five parts of loam. With the aid of a blunt 

 stick insert the cuttings at such depth as will admit of 

 the base resting on the soil at the bottom of the hole and 

 the first joint being level with the surface. As the pots are 

 filled give a moderate watering through a fine rose and 

 plunge them to the rim in the hotbed, the temperature of 

 which ought not to exceed 70. The subsequent manage- 

 ment consists in spraying the cuttings once or twice daily 

 as may be necessary to prevent the leaves flagging, screen- 

 ing them from the sun, and ventilating with sufficient 

 freedom to maintain a fresh, buoyant atmosphere, for if the 

 atmosphere is allowed to become close and excessively 

 moist many of the cuttings will fail to root. 



In about twenty days from the time of their insertion 

 the cuttings should be nicely rooted, and may be removed 

 to a cool bed in the same house or to a cool structure, 

 where, with moderate ventilation, they should remain for a 

 few days previous to potting them off singly or shifting 

 them into larger pots according to the method adopted in 

 the insertion of the cuttings. To admit of this operation 



