ON PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 223 



planted without leaves, or when evergreens with ripened wood are 

 put in ; for a certain time is required for every cutting to accom- 

 modate itself to its new situation. The bottom heat should slightly 

 exceed that of the atmosphere. If the shoot has, however, been 

 much excited into growth by heat, in order to obtain the cutting, 

 the latter must have that heat kept up in its new situation, otherwise 

 its vegetation will be checked. For cuttings of all the difficult- 

 rooting greenhouse plants, the best heat for the soil is from 55 to 60 

 Fah. ; for those of hothouse plants, from 65 to 75 Fah., which should 

 be as regular as possible. This regularity is of great moment to 

 ensure the success of the cuttings. Where the propagation of house- 

 plants by cuttings is carried on extensively, a pit or house should be 

 formed on purpose, in which there should be a bed of gently ferment- 

 ing matter, such as tan or leaves, or, what will in general be found 

 preferable, of sand, or coarsely -powdered charcoal, heated by the 

 vapour of hot water from below. Where dung-beds are employed, 

 great care is necessary to prevent the exhalations rising from the dung 

 from entering into the house, as they would destroy most cuttings. 

 Cuttings put in without leaves, or with leaves, but with ripened 

 wood, will be much longer in rooting than those put in with leaves, 

 and in a growing state, such as geraniums, petunias, dahlias, and 

 even heaths. 



Cuttings of the plants in common cultivation in British gardens may 

 be classed as under : 



Cuttings of hardy deciduous trees, and shrubs, such as the goose- 

 berry, currant, willow, poplar, &c., are easily rooted in the open garden, 

 and the same may be said of the vine and fig. As it is desirable that 

 the gooseberry and currant should not throw up suckers, and should 

 have a clean stem, all the buds are cut clean out, except three, or at 

 most four, at the upper end of the cutting. The cuttings are planted 

 erect, with the dibber, or dug in with the spade, about six inches 

 deep, and made quite firm at their lower extremity. Cuttings of 

 honeysuckles, syringas, ampelopsis, artemisia, atragene, atriplex, 

 baccharis, berchemia, bignonia, calycanthus, ceanothus, chenopodjum, 

 clematis, China roses, and the like, are rather more difficult to root, 

 and succeed best in a shady border and a sandy soil. 



Cuttings of hardy evergreens, such as the common laurel, Portugal 

 laurel, laurustinus, arborvita?, evergreen privet, and a few others, may 

 be rooted in common soil in the open garden ; being put in in autumn, 

 and remaining there a year. Cuttings of buxus, juniperus, rhamnus, 

 holly, sweet bay, aucuba, &c., require a shady border and a sandy soil. 

 They are put in in autumn, the wood being well ripened ; but young wood 

 of these, and all the kinds mentioned in this and the preceding para- 

 graph will root freely, if taken off in the beginning of summer when 

 the lower end of the cutting is beginning to ripen, and planted in sand, 

 and covered with a hand-glass. 



Cuttings of all the Coniferae and Taxaceae may be taken off when the 

 lower end of the cutting is beginning to ripen, and planted in sand, 

 with a layer of leaf-mould beneath, in pots well drained, in the month 



