CUTTINGS. 299 



others, are readily propagated from cuttings of the 

 ripened Avood made in the winter. If they are in any 

 way tender, it will be best to collect the wood in the 

 fall and pack it away in moist sphagnum in a cool cel- 

 lar, until the cuttings can be made up. In a general 

 way, they are made in about the same way as soft cut- 

 tings, but are rooted and cared for more as the short, 

 hard cuttings. In the spring they are planted out in 

 nursery rows. 



Long cuttings are from six to eleven inches long, 

 with a bud at the bottom and another about one inch 

 from the upper end (Fig. 100). It will be of advantage 

 if a little of the bark is removed near the base, as was 

 recommended for the short cuttings. These cuttings 

 should be made in the fall, and packed away in a cool 

 cellar or buried in some well drained spot out of doors. 

 It is generally customary to place them in bundles with 



FIG. 100. LONG CUTTING OF GRAPE. 



the butts up and cover with about two inches of * soil, 

 over which enough straw or other rubbish is placed to 

 keep out the frost. As soon as severe freezing weather 

 is over, the mulch should be removed, and when they 

 have callused the cuttings should be planted in drills 

 twelve to fifteen inches apart, and one to two inches in 

 the rows, with the buds just covered. This is a cheap 

 way of propagating grapes, currants, gooseberries, wil- 

 lows, poplars, and many shrubs and vines. 



HALF-HARD CUTTINGS. 



Intermediate between the hard and soft cuttings are 

 those sometimes called "half-hard," in which the woody 

 fibers have begun to form. Such plants as the rose, and 

 many of the shrubs, when used in a soft state, are likely 



