186 PRACTICAL PLANT PROPAGATION 



tings are made in the Fall, because then the bottom heat will force the 

 formation of roots before Winter begins. Bottom heat is necessary when 

 cuttings are made in the Fall, as without the heat not many cuttings 

 would form roots. However, as stated, if the cuttings are made in the 

 early part of Summer, the warm weather will enable the cuttings to 

 have nice roots before the Fall. 



"It is best to build the frame in such a way that it is nearly level 

 with the ground, when the cuttings can easily be protected during the 

 Winter with a lot of manure and some mats. 



"A light, sandy, rich soil is the best to place Boxwood cuttings in. 

 In making cuttings the taller ones can be selected for the purpose of 

 forming pyramid Boxwood, while the short, stocky ones are best for 

 future bush Boxwood. It is advisable to even up the short cuttings a 

 little on the tops. 



"The cuttings are placed about 2 inches apart each way, and for the 

 next six to eight weeks the frames must be covered with sash. As root 

 forming takes place quickest in the dark, the glass must be heavily 

 whitewashed and covered with lath or thin mats to keep the sun out 

 entirely. If the cuttings were not kept in a quite dark place the foliage 

 would commence to grow and no roots would form. The cuttings must 

 be watered copiously so that the soil is kept moist, while in extra warm 

 weather a light spraying a few times a day will be beneficial. On warm 

 days they also must be aired. In about two months the sashes are taken 

 away and the cuttings can be protected by lath only until the cold 

 weather sets in. Then the sashes must be placed on them again. 



"As Boxwood cuttings in their young stages are very tender, fully 

 adequate protection must be given them during the Winter. When 

 Spring is at hand this protection can be taken away and, to obtain a 

 nice growth before they are planted out, the following must be done: 

 Feed the plants with plenty of liquid manure at the first signs of Spring, 

 leave the sashes on them, and keep them as warm as possible, watering 

 them abundantly. Care should be taken not to burn them. 



"When they have made their first growth they can be planted out. 

 When planting out it should be taken into consideration that Boxwood 

 needs rich soil, considerable moisture and, if possible, plenty of shade. 

 The best place for Boxwood is where it can be watered occasionally 

 during dry weather. If one has a block of Maple trees Boxwood can 

 be planted in the rows, and the 'shade of the trees will do them good 

 while, at the same time, the same trees will protect them during the 

 Winter. 



"However, most Boxwood, and Rhododendrons also, are rarely 

 killed by frost. It is the sudden change of temperature about March 

 (in the latitude of New York) that does most of the harm. One day it 

 may be very cold, while the next day the sun will shine warmly on the 

 foliage, thawing it out top suddenly. It is this hot sun on the foliage, 

 right after severe, cold nights that does most harm to both Boxwood 

 and Rhododendrons, causing alternate freezing and thawing. 



"The training of Boxwood must begin from the earliest stage. Bushes 

 must be trimmed on the top to obtain nicely shaped round plants, 

 while pyramids must be trained quite high before they are allowed to 

 grow in circumference. And it always must be borne in mind that 

 Boxwood needs a lot of nourishment; feeding of small quantities of 

 nitrate of soda will tend to keep the foliage dark green. Nitrate of 

 soda is a dangerous fertilizer, however, and must be applied carefully 

 as it will quickly burn the foliage. The best time to apply this fertilizer 

 is before a storm or a rain, as then the soda which accidentally might 

 have fallen on the foliage will be washed off immediately." 



