MANUAL OF GENERAL AGRICULTURE. 61 



large quantity of plant food. Soft-wood cuttings are of 

 little importance in agriculture. 



3. Root Cuttings. Short cuttings of roots may be 

 used in the propagation of many plants, notably the horse 

 radish. The roots of lippia, bermuda grass and some other 

 grasses can be cut into short pieces and planted. 



Obtain some hard-wood cuttings of apple, peach, pear, 

 plum, berry canes, fig, olive, quince and any others that 

 are available. Get cuttings about 18 inches long and 3-8 

 to 5-8 inch in diameter, using wood of the previous sea- 

 son's growth. They should be obtained during the dor- 

 mant period (January) or at the time of pruning. Cut 

 five from each tree and tie them in separate bundles with 

 the butts all one way, then label with a piece of wood. 



In order to save time and trouble we may as well ob- 

 tain scions for grafting at this time and care for them in 

 the same ways as described below for cuttings. A scion 

 is a portion cut from a plant to be inserted upon another 

 plant with the intention that it shall grow. Obtain scions 

 to be grafted on year old seedlings grown as indicated in 

 Exercise 56. If there are no year old seedlings to be 

 grafted, no scions need be gathered, but in order to save 

 time in getting started seedlings should be bought. Select 

 10 scions of about the size of the seedlings to be grafted 

 so that they may be easily matched, tie in bundles and 

 label with a piece of wood. Heal in the cuttings (and 

 scions) by digging a trench in moist, sandy, well drained 

 soil in a shady place as on the north side of a building. 

 Place the bundles in the trench in a slightly inclined posi- 

 tion and cover all over but the tips, pressing the soil 

 firmly about them. 



In February or March, when the nursery is ready, 

 dig up the cuttings and plant in nursery rows, making the 

 rows 2 feet apart for hand cultivation or 3 feet apart for 

 horse cultivation and plant the cuttings 8 inches apart in 

 the rows. 



Only berries, fig, olive and quince are raised by cut- 

 tings, but for the sake of experiment and practice try cut- 

 tings of the others. 



