28 A GUIDE TO FLORICULTURE. 



lent plants are the most easy to strike root ; the harder the 

 wood the more difficult. In striking cuttings one thing 

 must be adhered to, as much depends on the manner of pre- 

 paring the cuttings ; for unless cut close to the joint there 

 is not much dependence to be placed in the success of the 

 undertaking, for the bud that you cut close to. when insert- 

 ed in the soil, attracts fluid which it feeds on ; this elon- 

 gates downward and becomes roots, for it is necessary by 

 nature it should be so before the plant can be established; 

 thus making a perfect plant, the same as the parent from 

 which the cutting was taken. As the roots become set, the 

 cutting sends forth branches, then the root and leaf become 

 mutually dependent upon each other for support and life. 

 The time of taking cuttings is from early spring till fall j dif- 

 ferent plants require their proper time for propagation ; for 

 instance, the best month for the Rose is June, when the young 

 wood is sufficiently ripe 5 herbaceous plants as soon as done 

 flowering, though for some it will be necessary to take their 

 flower stems before developing the flowers. It would oc- 

 cupy too much space to specify the proper time for all the 

 varieties ; but each treatise of this work will exhibit enough 

 for any beginner to commence with, leaving the balance to 

 his own experience. 



The best way to strike cuttings of hard wooded shrubs is 

 to procure a box or pan about twelve inches across and the 

 same in depth; then get another about four inches without a 

 hole in the bottom, which may be easily obtained of a potter ; 

 placing part of a brick in the larger to keep the smaller one 

 on a level with it in the centre, then fill the vacancy with 

 fine leaf mould and sand in equal parts, well incorporated ; 

 this done, insert the cuttings up to the second joint, close to 



