EXERCISE 77 

 STARTING PLANTS BY CUTTINGS 



Object. To prepare cuttings for setting in pots and in 

 the nursery. 



Explanation. A cutting is a small portion of a plant re- 

 moved from the parent and placed under proper conditions 

 for favorable growth. Cuttings may be made from many 

 hard wood and herbaceous plants. Wood cuttings should be 

 collected in the fall and stored in a cellar during the winter, 

 where they will partly heal over. Herbaceous cuttings may 

 be taken directly from the green plant and placed in the 

 starting box. 



Equipment. 1. Twigs of grape and willow or cotton- 

 wood which have been stored in the cellar during the winter. 



2. Plants of geranium or wandering jew. 



3. A starting box two by three feet, one foot deep. 

 Directions. Fill the starting box with sand and wet it 



thoroughly. Use the twigs or branches of grapevines and 

 willow or cottonwood that were collected and stored in 

 Ex. 15. Remove all but two buds on the top part of the 

 plant. Make holes in the sand with a sharp stick or lead 

 pencil about three inches apart. Insert the twigs in the 

 holes and press the sand firmly about them. 



Obtain small slips or branches of the geranium or wandering 



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