Propagation ~by Cuttings. 217 



380. How to Make Green Cuttings of Herbaceous 

 Plants. In herbaceous plants roots develop most read- 

 ily from the younger and more succulent parts of the 

 stem. Bend the shoot near its terminus in the form 

 of a U, and then press the parts together. If the stem 

 breaks with a snap, it is in the proper condition to 

 root promptly; if it bends without breaking it has be- 

 come too hard. Cutting below a node (115) is not es- 

 sential to the formation of roots in herbaceous plants.* 



While the propagating house or hotbed is necessary 

 to the extensive multiplication of herbaceous plants by 

 green cuttings, the amateur may readily propagate a 

 limited number of plants by the so-called "saucer sys- 

 tem." The cuttings may be placed in glazed saucers 

 containing sand that should be kept saturated with 

 water. The saucers may be set in any warm, well- 

 lighted place, as the window of a living room. The 

 stems being in this case in contact with the water in 

 the bottom of the saucer, the cuttings require less shad- 

 ing than those in the propagating bed. 



381. How to Make Green Cuttings of Woody 

 Plants. Cuttings of woody plants are preferably 

 made of harder growths than those best suited to herba- 

 ceous plants. They should be selected from young 

 shoots of medium size and from half-mature wood, and 

 should generally contain from two to three nodes, 

 though where the material for cuttings is scarce, single 

 buds may be used in many plants. The base of the 



* In a few plants, as the dahlia, the presence of a dormant 

 bud at the crown is essential to the development of the stem the 

 succeeding year. Cuttings of such plants should therefore be 

 made below a node, if the roots are desired for future use. 

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