CUTTA<;I: 



CUTTAGE 



421 



tions shotild 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 in a greenhouse 



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 growers prefer short cuttings ; the advantage 

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

 greater danger of wilting and consequent retrogression. 

 It is not necessary to cut to a bud, i. e., at the node, 

 in the more easily handled plants except in some her- 

 baceous tuberous-rooted plants, like dahlia ( see Fig. 625 ) , 

 and Sal via patens, in which a crown must be formed to 

 insure future growth. Make the cut where it will give the 

 proper length. A part of the leaves should be removed, 

 always enougn to secure a clean stem for planting, and 

 as many more as are needed to prevent disastrous wilt- 

 ing: this factor varies greatly. In a hardwood cutting 

 of lemon verbena all leaves are taken off, in zonale 

 geraniums from the open ground few if any are left, in 

 coleus and verbena about one half are removed, while 

 in Olea fragrans, Daphne odora, heath, etc., only enough 

 for planting. Use a sharp 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 washed before planting. Some- 

 times the lower ends are allowed to dry for 

 several hours, the tops being protected 

 against wilting. Large and succulent cut- 

 tings, e. g., of pineapple, cotyledon, cac- 

 tus, etc., should be dried before planting 

 by letting them lie on the surface of the 

 propagating bed for several days, or they 

 may be planted in dry sand at first. Under 

 these conditions a callus forms which tends 

 to prevent decay; but the wood must not 

 shrivel. 



Peter Henderson has introduced a method 

 which is likely to increase the percentage 

 of rooted plants, and which is desirable in 

 slow - growing varieties, like the tricolor 

 geraniums. He advises that the cutting 

 should be partly severed and allowed to 

 hang to the parent plant for a few days; 

 this results in a partial 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 uuiei 

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

 due wilting. 



Give shade inmn-diately, 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 light. 



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 bell-glass or frame. 



Sand is the medium commonly employed for the root- 

 ing of cuttings, selecting the coarser kinds for plants 

 like geraniums and finer for heaths. Brick dust and 

 powdered charcoal are sometimes recommended, and 

 "Jadoo fiber" is now on trial. Sphagnum is useful in 

 rooting Ficus elastica, the base of the cutting being- 

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

 moss. English ivy, oleander and other plants can be 

 struck in water, but this method is cumbersome. Peter- 

 Henderson's saucer method is valuable in hot weather : 

 the cuttings are planted in sand, kept saturated and 



621. Cutting bench shaded with lath. 



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. 



