HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



PRO 



tern leads undoubtedly to many cases 

 of failure; not that the cutting at or be- 

 low a joint either hinders or assists the 

 formation of roots ; but from the fact 

 that, when a slip is cut at a joint, the shoot 

 often has become too hard at that point, 

 while half an inch higher up or atwve the 

 joint, the proper condition will be found. 

 We know that it will root even when in 

 the too hard condition, but the roots 

 emitted will be hard and slender, and, as 

 a consequence, will not be likely to make 

 a plant of the same vigor as that made 

 from the cutting in the proper state; be- 

 sides, as the hard cutting takes double 

 the time to root, its chances of damping 

 off from unfavorable atmospheric condi- 

 tions are thus increased. With these in- 

 structions for the proper state of the cut- 

 ting, we now proceed to describe the 

 medium wherein it is to be placed, and 

 the conditions of temperature, moist- 

 ure, etc. If these are strictly followed, 

 failure is an impossibility; for the laws 

 governing the rooting of a slip are as 

 certain as those governing the germina- 

 tion of a seed. In our own practice, 

 when these conditions are strictly fol- 

 lowed, failure is unknown. 



The most proper condition of tempera- 

 ture to root cuttings of the great major- 

 ity of green-house and bedding plants is 

 65 degrees of bottom heat, indicated by 

 a thermometer plunged in the sand of 

 the bench, and an atmospheric tempera- 

 ture of 15 degrees less. A range of 10 

 degrees may be allowed, that is, 5 de- 

 grees lower or 5 degrees higher, but the 

 nearer the heat of the sand can be kept 

 to 65 degrees, and that of the rest of the 

 house to 50 degrees, the more perfect the 

 success will be. 

 Sand is the best medium in which to place 



PRO 



cuttings; color or texture is of no special 

 importance. What we use is the ordi- 

 nary sand used by builders; this is laid 

 on the hot-bed or bench of the green- 

 house to the depth of about three inches 

 and firmly packed down. When " bot- 

 tom heat" is wanted, the flue or pipes 

 under the bench of the green-house are 

 boarded in, so that the heat strikes the 

 bottom of the bench, thus raising the 

 temperature in the sand. 



From the time the cuttings are in- 

 serted in the sand until they are rooted, 

 they should never be allowed to get dry: 

 in fact, our practice is to keep the sand 

 soaked with water, the cutting bench be- 

 ing watered copiously every morning, 

 and often, when the atmosphere is dry, 

 again in the evening. Kept thus satu- 

 rated, there is less chance of the cutting 

 getting wilted, either by heat from the 

 sun or from fire heat; for if a cutting 

 once gets wilted, its juices are expend- 

 ed, and it becomes in the condition of a 

 hard cutting, in the condition in which, 

 when bent, it will not snap nor break, 

 which has already been described. To 

 avoid this wilting or flagging of the cut- 

 ting, every means that will suggest itself 

 to the propagator is to be used. Our 

 practice is to shade and ventilate in the 

 propagating house or hot-bed just as soon 

 in the forenoon as the action of the sun's 

 rays on the glass raises the temperature 

 of the house to 65 degrees or 70 degrees. 

 Tin's practice of ventilating the propagat- 

 ing house or hot-bed is, we are aware, 

 not in very common use; many contend- 

 ing that the place where the propagating 

 is done should at all times be kept close. 

 We have tried both methods long enough 

 and extensively enough to satisfy us be- 

 yond all question, that ventilating and 



