194 



THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



Vase of Roses 



Several years ago a friend took a cheese -box, filled it 

 with sharp sand to the brim, supported it in a tub of water 

 so that the lower half inch of the box was immersed. The 

 sand was packed down, sprinkled, and single - 

 joint Rose cuttings, with a bud and a leaf 

 near the top, were inserted almost their 

 whole length in the sand. This was in July, 

 a hot month, when it is usually difficult to 

 root any kind of cutting ; moreover, the box 

 stood on a southern slope, facing the hot 

 sun, without a particle of shade. The 

 only attention given the box was to keep 

 the water high enough in the tub to touch 

 the bottom of the cheese -box. In about 

 three weeks he took out three or four dozen 

 of as nicely rooted cuttings as could have 

 been grown in the greenhouse. 

 The "saucer system," in which cuttings are inserted in 

 wet sand contained in a saucer an inch or two deep, to 

 be exposed at all times to the full sunshine, is of a similar 

 nature. The essentials are, to give the cuttings the "full 

 sun" and to keep the sand saturated with water. 



Whatever method is used, if cuttings are to be trans- 

 planted after rooting, it is important to pot them off in 

 small pots as soon as they have a cluster of roots one -half 

 inch or an inch long. Leaving them too long in the sand 

 weakens the cutting. 



Sage is a perennial, but best results are se- 

 cured by resowing every two or three years. Give a warm, 

 rich soil. Hardy. 



Salpiglossis. Very fine half-hardy annuals. 

 The flowers, which are borne in profusion, are of many 

 colors, and rival in markings most other annuals. The 

 flowers are short-lived if left on the plant, but will hold 

 well if cut and placed in water. Seed should be sown in 



