128 PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS 



For all of this class of plants which do not readily repro- 

 duce from seed this method is by far the most important. 

 To get the best results with softwood cuttings, green- 

 house conditions are necessary. A good propagating bench, 

 with five or six inches of clean, coarse sand, facilities for 

 providing bottom heat, an even distribution of tempera- 

 ture and a close glass cover for the bed to regulate the 

 humidity, are some of the conditions necessary. For all 

 such cuttings three principles should be kept in mind: 

 First, young wood formed somewhat late in the life of 

 the individual will root the easiest. Second, the cuttings 

 are made while the plants are in active growth and they 

 should, therefore, contain just sufficient leaf surface to 

 keep up the life processes of the plant and not enough to 

 cause undue loss of moisture. Third, in regard to mois- 

 ture and temperature, keep the cuttings under similar 

 conditions in which the parent made the best growth. 

 Roots will form in a short time, when the cuttings are re- 

 moved from the propagating bed and treated according 

 to the requirements of each individual. 



REVIEW QUESTIONS 



1 . What is a cutting? 



2. What fruits are usually propagated by cuttings? 



3. What parts of plants may be used as cuttings, which are the 



most common? 



4. How are cuttings classified? 



5. What principles are involved in growing plants from cuttings? 



6. Describe the callusing bed and how used. 



7. Give the various kinds of cuttings. 



