INCREASING ALPINES BY CUTTINGS 49 



very slightly heated frame, or round the edges of 

 pots in a frame, in spring, summer or autumn. The 

 frame should be kept rather close for a week or 

 two, air being admitted only for a little while each 

 morning. 



Cuttings in small pots generally root well and suffer 

 less when planted out than those taken from a bed of 

 soil, while they are also much more convenient to handle 

 after they are rooted, as they can be lifted nearer the 

 light and placed readily in any desired position. Plants 

 with rather hard stems, such as the Candytufts, Helian- 

 themum, Broom, Andromeda, etc., are best propagated by 

 means of short cuttings, taken off with a " heel " of the old 

 wood attached. This " heel " should be trimmed smooth, 

 and the lower leaves of the cutting taken off also. An 

 excellent plan is to set a small pot containing the cuttings 

 inside a much larger one, the space between the two being 

 filled with moss and a sheet of glass placed over all. 

 A little air should be given daily, and any moisture 

 accumulating on the glass wiped off. When the cuttings 

 have rooted the small pot containing the young plants 

 may be taken out. 



Root Cuttings. A considerable number of alpine 

 flowers can be increased by means of root cuttings, and 

 this method is much more easily practised than most 

 amateurs are aware of, though it is not very largely 

 followed. Morisia hypogaea, Statices, many of the 

 Primulas, especially those with good rootstocks or thick 

 roots, some of the Anemones, Campanulas, and other 



