the air al)ove the cuttings saturated. A bed similar to this was set up at 

 one end of a greenhouse bench, and, to aid in cooling the interior, several 

 thicknesses of cheesecloth on top of the plastic cover were sprinkled with 

 water at intervals. Water was added to the cuttings and medium fairly 

 often. The temperature rose to a very high point (95-105°F.) in this "sweat- 

 box" type of bed on warm summer days. This was tested for only one 

 season. 



Table 1. Effect of Kind of Bed and Moisture Treatment on Rooting 



of Sugar Maple Cuttings 



The results of tests in all beds are summarized in Table 1. Based on the 

 percentage of rooting, the small outdoor ground bed with cloth shade (C), 

 gave the best response (37 percent). Although the total number of cuttings 

 tested in it was relatively small, this type of bed does have definite possi- 

 bilities. The chief recommendations for it are simjilicity of construction and 

 ease of operation, plus low cost. Bed (A), greenhouse ground bed with 

 whitewash shade and constant mist, proved to be next best in rootino- re- 

 sponse (29 percent), although the margin was slight between the resuUs 

 with it and those with type (B). outdoor bench with cloth shade and con- 

 stant mist (27 percent), and those with bed (D), the plastic covered bench 

 with fan aeration and intermittent mist (28 percent). However, the extra 

 expense, care, and trouble encountered with intermittent m.ist devices, 

 whether with or without special covers or aerating fans, would be dis- 

 tinctly against the use of this method. As to type (F), the bench with 

 moisture-tight cover, the somewhat lower rooting response (23 percent), 

 together with the extra care and attention it requires, do not recommend 

 this type of bed. Lowest amount of rooting of all beds was obtained with 

 bed (E), the one with forced aeration from below, (10 percent). On the 

 basis of these results this method is not worth further consideration. From 

 all the results the general conclusion may be drawn that the use of beds 

 or benches either in the greenhouse or outdoors, with constant mist and 

 some shade, will provide good rooting conditions for sugar maple cuttings. 



