2 GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT. 



date is preferable. The rule generally given for learn- 

 ing if the plants are in proper condition to be used for 

 cuttings, i. e., when in bending a branch the wood 

 snaps, does not hold for roses, as cuttings should not be 

 made until the buds in the axils of the leaves have be- 

 come firm and hard. Some consider that the lower 

 buds on a stem are in good condition when the flower 

 buds are ready to be cut, while others believe that the 

 best time for making the cuttings is when the buds 

 begin to show color. At any rate, the cuttings should 

 be made before the leaf buds begin to swell. The cut- 

 tings made as soon as the buds have formed and the 

 wood has lost its succulent nature, will root quicker, and 

 a much larger per cent of them will form roots, or 

 '* strike," as it is called. If the variety is a new and 

 choice one, the blind shoots, or those that have not 

 formed flower buds, are often used for making cut- 

 tings. While it may be done occasionally without 

 marked injury, if persisted in the tendency will be 

 to develop plants that form few flowering, stems, 

 and the results will not be satisfactory, so that the con- 

 tinued use of the blind shoots for cuttings is not to be 

 recommended. 



When' the stems have long internodes, and particu- 

 larly if it is a new sort, a cutting should be obtained 

 from every good bud, but those at the lower part of the 

 stem, and all at the upper portion that are to any ex- 

 tent soft and succulent, should be rejected. The cut- 

 tings of American Beauty, and other varieties with short 

 joints, should contain two or more buds. Cuttings 

 should be from one and one-half to three inches long, 

 with one bud near the top, at any rate, and with the 

 lower end cut off smoothly at right angles, with a sharp 

 knife. If the upper leaf is large, about one-half of it 

 should be cut away, and the other leaves, if any, should 

 be rubbed off. 



