90 PLANT PROPAGATION 



are propagated by this means. The essential requisite in 

 the tuber cutting is to have an eye in each piece. 



Root Cuttings. Many plants can be multiplied with ease 

 by means of short cuttings of the root. This is particularly 

 true of all species that possess a natural tendency to sucker. 

 True root cuttings possess no buds, and the buds develop 

 after the cutting is made. The roots are cut into pieces, 

 varying from 1 to 3 inches in length and are planted in the 

 soil horizontally. Root cuttings thrive better if bottom 

 heat is given. Many of our fruit trees, such as the apple, 

 the pear, the cherry and the peach, can be easily grown by 

 root cuttings, as well as many brambles such as the black- 

 berries and the raspberries. However, it is never recom- 

 mended that the fruit trees be propagated by root cuttings, 

 except only where stocks are wanted for grafting or budding. 

 The horse-radish furnishes a familiar example of propagation 

 by root cuttings. This plant is thus propagated in a com- 

 mercial way and is practically the only means of securing a 

 stand. 



Stem Cuttings. Stem cuttings are made from the stem 

 of a plant. They are divided into three general classes: (1) 

 Soft or green-wood cuttings; (2) semihard-wood cuttings; 

 (3) hard or mature wood cuttings. The classes gradually 

 shade into each other and no hard-and-fast line can be drawn 

 between them. 



Green-wood Cuttings. A green- or soft-wood cutting is 

 made from a plant which is in active growing state. Green- 

 wood cuttings are very popular because they strike root 

 quickly. Soft-wood cuttings can also be handled very 

 easily under glass in the winter, and more species can be 

 propagated by this cutting than by the hard-wood cutting. 



A green-wood cutting is sometimes called a slip. The 

 term is usually restricted to designate those cuttings which 

 may be made by pulling or slipping off of a small shoot. 

 The term slip should be discarded since cutting is by far 

 the more proper to use. The term slip is also applied to the 

 multiplication of plants that are grown in the window gar- 

 den. All of the soft-wooded plants and many of the orna- 

 mental shrubs may be increased by green-wood cuttings. 



