EXERCISE 43 

 PROPAGATION BY SOFTWOOD CUTTINGS 



Materials. Make cuttings, or " slips," by cutting off the tips of 

 branches of the geranium with a sharp knife. Each cutting should 

 be about three inches long. 



Directions for work. Remove all the leaves except a few 

 of the smallest ones. Make a trench about an inch deep in the 

 sand and stand the cuttings upright in the trench. Fill the 

 trench and press the sand closely about the bases of the cut- 

 tings. Moisten the sand well and place the box in the light, 

 but protect the cuttings from the direct rays of the sun for 

 several days. The sand must be kept warm. 



After the first week examine every second or third day by 

 lifting one or two cuttings from the box, together with a small 

 amount of sand. This must be done carefully in order to avoid 

 breaking the roots. The sand may be removed gently and the 

 growth of the roots noted. 



When the roots are two inches long the sand may be washed 

 from the roots of one or two cuttings to allow of more careful 

 study. From what part of the stem do the roots grow ? Do 

 they come from the cut surface or from the sides of the stem ? 

 Has the cut healed or changed in any way ? Has the leaf surface 

 increased during the experiment ? Why was it necessary to 

 remove most of the leaf surface at first? 



If any cuttings are unused when the study is completed, they 

 may be transplanted to pots of earth and allowed to grow for 

 some time, after which they may be taken home by the pupils 

 or used to plant the school grounds. 



References 



BERGEN and CALDWELL. Practical Botany, p. 86. 

 BERGEN and CALDWELL. Introduction to Botany, p. 90. 



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