CUTTINGS IN OPEN AIE. 57 



few cuttings of this form which they are able to get from 

 their vines, and there is no doubt but that excellent 

 vines may be grown from such cuttings ; but it is equally 

 true that other portions of the vine will, with proper 

 care (though not always quite as readily), make vines 

 equally as good. 



It matters little what form of cutting is adopted, 

 nor does any particular portion of the wood possess any 

 superiority over another, provided it is thoroughly ripe 

 and healthy. The requisites are : To keep its vitality 

 unimpaired from the time it is taken from the vine until 

 it is planted, then give the cuttings a position where 

 they will secure plenty of heat and moisture, with a full 

 supply of nutriment to sustain them when they begin 

 growth. 



The Callus on Cuttings. A callus is that pecu- 

 liar excrescence which is usually four d on that portion 

 of a cutting where the wood has beer> exposed by sever- 

 ing from the plant. The formation of the callus pre- 

 cedes that of roots, and is generally taken as a sign that 

 roots are about to be produced. But it must not be sup- 

 posed, because the cuttings have made the first move, 

 that the second will as readily follow ; because there are 

 hundreds of plants, the cuttings of which, packed in 

 damp moss in a warm room, will become well callused 

 over, and still it is an extremely difficult matter to make 

 the roots grow after removal. 



Many inexperienced propagators seem to think that 

 if they can only get the callus to form, and a few roots 

 to start, the cutting is a sure thing, but it may fail later. 



