CUTTAGE 



421 



tions should be taken to prevent wilting during 

 making and planting: if the weather is hot, sprinkle the 

 floor and bench of the work room: if they are delicate, 

 and exposed for an hour or more, lay them between folds 



620. Permanent propagating frames 



of moistened paper. The average length of these cut- 

 tings is from 1 to 3 inches, but they can be made longer 

 or shorter; much depends upon the nature of the plant. 

 The best growerb prefer short cuttings , the advantage 

 of a long piece to begin with is more than offset by 

 greater dinger of wilting and consequtnt rrtrogression 

 It IS not nee essary to cut to a bud i t tl m „ 1p 



in the 111 !(- eisih bindled plants (\ i i i i 



bactoustub.i. us rooted plants, hkf 1 I 1 ) 



and S,l ,, pit ,is inwhi h ainwn i I i 



insure tuturi growth Make the cut \\ 1 1 i ili 



proper length A part of the leaves h il I 1 i in \ 1 

 always enough to secure a clean sttui till tiIih^ m 1 

 as many more as are needed to p 

 mg this factor vanes j 



of leii 



In I h 

 take 



geianmiiis fi m tli | i ii ^lound few it any are leit, m 

 coleus uiil \ il 1 . il lit ne half are lemoved while 

 luOha ff t ft " Jill It t 2 /a,heith etc , only enough 

 forplantm., L sl isU up knife, but scissors are handy 

 for trimming and sometimes for making cuttings of 

 those small wooded plants which root easily 



The cuttings of plants with milky juice 

 should be w ashed before planting Some 

 times the low er ends are allowed to dry for 

 several hours, the tops being protected 

 agiinst wiltmg Large and succulent cut 

 tm^s e g , of pineapple, cotyledon, cac 

 tus etc should be dried before planting 

 b^ letting them lie on the surface of the 

 piopagating bed for several days, or they 

 in i\ be planted m dry sand at first Under 

 th(-se conditions a callus forms which tends 

 to prevent decay, but the wood must not 

 shrivel 



Peter Henderson hi 

 which lb likely 



of rooted plants, and which is desirable 

 slow growing varieties, like the tiicoloi 

 geraniums He advises that the cutting 

 should be partly sei ered and allowed to 

 hang to the paient plant for a few dajs, 

 this results m a paitial callus, or even roots, 

 before the cutting is entirely removed 



In planting cuttings, use a dibble or open 

 a V-shaped trench. Never thrust the cut- 

 ting directly into the soil. Plant deep 

 enough to hold the cutting upright and no 

 deeper, making due allowance for the sand 

 settling ; the distance apart should be just 

 enough to prevent them from pressing 

 against each other. It must be remem- 

 bered that they stay in the bed only until rooted. As 

 soon as growth begins, they are potted off. When the 

 cuttings are inserted, the sand should be firmly pressed 

 about them, and they should be watered with a syringe 



or with a fine rose ; the forcible application of water 

 compacts the sand, thus excluding air, and prevents un- 

 due wilting. 

 Give shade immediately, using lath shutters outside, 

 or paper or cloth screens within, and attend 

 to this very carefully for the first few days. 

 Lift the shades early in the afternoon, and 

 put them on late in the morning, but keep 

 them on during the middle of the day, thus 

 gradually accustoming them to full fight. 



Cuttings should never suffer from dry- 

 ness. The sand should always be kept moist 

 to the verge of wetness. Ventilation should 

 be given on bright days, but all exposure to 

 draft avoided. A good temperature for prop- 

 agating is from 60° to 65° F., increasing 

 these figures for tropical plants and reduc- 

 ing them for more hardy kinds. It is de- 

 batable whether bottom heat and confined 

 air are advisable for cuttings of growing 

 wood. The older gardeners employed both, 

 but now neither is commonly used, except 

 for tropical plants, like croton, or when a 

 constant succession of crops of cuttings is 

 required. There is no doubt that with this 

 aid cuttings will root more quickly, but 

 more skill and care are required, neglect 

 bringing on fungous disease, which results in unhealthy 

 plants or total loss. If bottom heat is used, the average 

 temperature of the bed should be 10° or so above that 

 of the air but less will suffice Indeed, in beds made as 

 described above in good weather the sand is enough 

 warmer than the greenhouse atmosphere to answer every 

 purpose If a confined air is used, ventilation and shad 

 ing must be carefully looked after, and precautions 

 taken against the accumulation of condensed moisture 

 within the beD glass or frame 



s uul IS the medium commonlj employed for the root 

 HU t ( uttings, selecting the coarser kinds for plants 

 111 _ I iiimms and finer for htaths Brick dust and 

 ] w 1 I 1 h ircoal are sometimes recommended, and 

 111 hi r IS now on trial Sphagnum is useful in 

 rooting Jt tius iUtt>tua, the base of the cutting being 

 wrapped m a ball of moss and plunged m a bed of 

 moss English n y oleander and other plants can be 

 struck in water, but this method is cimbersome Peter 

 Henderson s s lucer method is t iluable m hot weather 

 the cuttings are planted in sand, kept saturated and 



fully exposed to the sun. Large cuttings can be planted 

 singly in 2- or 3-inch pots, the pots then being plunged 

 in the cutting bed. In such cases some well rotted leaf- 

 mold, less than one-half, can be added to the sand. 



