DECEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 337 



best, therefore, before taking cuttings to start up into active 

 growth any plants that may be resting. This is accom- 

 plished, of course, by giving them more water and warmth 

 and a little fertilizer, and by repotting, if that is required. 

 Abnormal conditions, such as too much heat or too much 

 stimulation, should, however, be avoided, as new growth 

 that is soft, watery and weak is just as worthless as that 

 which is too old. 



The wood where the cutting is to be taken should be 

 plump and firm, but not hard. Of course the degree of 

 firmness varies in different plants. In a coleus or a snap- 

 dragon it may be comparatively soft, while in a geranium it 

 is much harder. 



The Snapping Test 



You can determine when wood is in the right condition by 

 applying the snapping test. This consists simply of bending 

 the branch or shoot between the thumb and fingers to a right 

 angle. If the wood snaps, but does not break clear off, it is 

 in the right condition. If it merely bends it is too young or 

 soft. If the bark cracks, but the interior fibers do not part, 

 it is too old and tough. Often all three conditions of wood 

 may be found on the same shoot, the tip being too soft and 

 the lower joints too hard, while the middle is in just the 

 proper condition to make one or more cuttings. 



As one of the most effective methods of starting plants 

 into active new growth is pruning or cutting them back, 

 you can often get a small supply of cuttings from the 

 ripened but not hardened terminal shoots or branches of the 

 plants that are cut back, and a second supply a few weeks 

 later when the plants brought into active growth have pro- 

 duced new supplies of wood suitable for the purpose. 



This plan is especially good when space is limited during 

 the early spring months. Some plants will be in bloom 

 ready to set out at the beginning of the bedding season; 

 others will come out and bloom freely during the latter part 

 of the summer and early fall; and still others, which should 



