CUTTINGS 



73 



HARD WOOD CUTTINGS 



Most of our shrubs and many of our trees may be propagated 

 by hard wood cuttings. The wood of the last season's growth is 

 taken in the Autumn or early Winter, when the 

 leaves have dropped (preferably before heavy freezes) 

 and cut into approximately six-inch lengths. The 

 cuts at the base and tip should be through an eye, 

 although this is not absolutely necessary except 

 in hollow stemmed sorts. (See fig. 20.) They are 

 usually tied in bunches of fifty or one hundred, and 

 may then be placed in boxes of moist soil or sand 

 in a cellar, or they may be buried upside down in a 

 sandy knoll deep enough so that they are below 

 frost. A mulch over the top will help retain the 

 heat. Take special care to keep the tops all one 

 way and have the butts in one plane so that they 

 may callus uniformly. 



Early in the Spring the cuttings, which will have 

 rooted, or at least callused, should be planted in 

 rows far enough apart for cultivation, and 6 to 8 

 inches apart in the rows. They should be so planted 

 that one or two eyes are above the surface of the 

 soil. It is expected that 90 per cent shall root. In 

 the Autumn they should be dug and sorted for size. 

 Some shrubs will require replanting in the nursery 

 row; others will be salable the first year. 



The Climbing Roses are easily propagated by 

 this method. Grapes and Currants are so multi- 

 plied; cuttings 5 to 7 inches long being sufficient. 

 Some growers also use one-eye cuttings of Grapes. 

 (See also Vitis, p. 222.) 



Cuttings are often taken in the Spring, but they 

 do not root so readily. The Fall cuttings produce 

 their roots before their tops. Spring cuttings are 

 apt to produce tops before roots and thereby use up the food 

 which should go toward root formation. As root growth proceeds 

 more slowly than top growth it would seem especially neces- 

 sary to use bottom heat in Spring rooting. 



Fig. 20. Hard 

 wood cutting. 

 Note that the 

 top is cut just 

 above the buds, 

 and that the 

 basal cut is 

 made through 

 the buds. Such 

 cuttings 

 should range 

 from 4 to 8 

 inches long 



EVERGREEN CUTTINGS 



A very successful way to propagate conifers and broad-leaved 

 evergreens is by means of cuttings which are placed either in out- 



