AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



197 



VI 



BRANCH CUTTINGS. 

 Fig, 82. 



d 



a. An ordinary woody cutting. 



&. A woody cutting with half an inch of last year's wood at the butt. 



c. A cutting slipped off from the main stem, having the butt smoothly trimmed, com- 

 monly called a " slip." 



d. A currant cutting with the underground buds cut off at the shoulder. 



e. Cutting with its " callous" formed at the butt preparatory to rooting. 

 /. Cutting with roots and leaves put forth, ready for setting out. 



Branch cuttings should have five or more buds, or three if 

 very long jointed, and must be smoothly cut with a sharp 

 knife just below and close by the lower bud (Fig. 82 a). If a 

 small piece of the old wood can be left at the butt of the cut- 

 ting it will more certainly succeed (Fig. 82 5). This object is 

 equally secured by slipping off the cutting from its main stem 

 and trimming it smoothly, and shortening it as in Fig. 82 c. 



To prevent a habit of throwing up stem suckers, to which 

 currants and gooseberries especially are liable, the buds may 

 be cut off or broken clean out with the heart from that portion 

 of the cutting which is covered in planting, leaving the bud- 

 shoulder and bark of the branch uninjured, Fig. 82 d. Fig. 82 e 

 and/ show the incipient and progressive growth of cuttings^ In 

 general, cuttings should be planted so as to leave at discretion 

 from one to three buds above ground. (See also p. 438.) When 



