tions should be taken t( 

 making and planting: if the 

 floor and bench of tlie work 

 and exposed for an hour or ni 



revent wilting during 

 ther is hot, sprinkle the 

 in : if they are delicate, 

 , lay them between folds 



or with a fine rose ; 

 compacts the sand.th 

 due wilting. 



421 



the forcible application of watei 

 lis excluding air, and prevents un- 



620 Permanent propaeating frames m a greenhou 



of moistentd papir Tht aMia^-c kngth of the^L cut 

 tmgs is from 1 to d 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 Salvia 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 greath In a hardwood cutting 

 of lemon verbena all leaves are taken off lu zonale 

 geraniums from the open ground few if any i 



coleus and verbena • 

 inOlea fragtan y> y/ 

 for planting I I i 



for trimming an i ii t 

 those small woodt 1 j I nit 

 The cuttings ot pi int' 

 should be washed befor 



hilf are removed while 

 / / lieith etc onh enough 

 lilt 1 lit scissors are hindy 

 11 1 r making cuttings of 



with milky ]uice 

 planting Some 



shade immediately, using lath shutters outside, 

 or paper or cloth screens withiu. and attend 

 » tlii> \ ery carefully for the tirst few dajs. 

 HI 111 shades early in the afternoon, and 

 111 on late m the morning, but keep 

 II during the middle of the day, thus 

 K L. . iivtoiuinsr till m to tuU light. 



n' should 



theseh.-iii 



batable wh il i 1 i . 1 i ii n .1 



:*^gll air are adMsil,!,. to, , uttii,.,'s ,,t ^-rowing 

 '^^^n wood. The older gardeners emplojed both, 

 ■^^gWHJ but now neither is commonly used, except 

 ^^n^^S for tropical plants, like croton, or when a 

 ^^^^^ mnstint succession of croj.s I , iittiii_s is 

 ru{uiiid. There IS no doul t tli it \ itli tins 

 lid ( uttmgs will root ni"i< lui I 1\ I ut 

 moil skill and care arr rn|iiin 1 m^Uct 

 bringing on tuiij-oiis disnqsp whi< h n suits in uiiht allh} 

 plants or tot il 1 s It I . ti m li. it is used, the a\ erage 

 temperaturi c i ih 1 1 li iil 1 1 In or so above that 

 of the air, but I will uih It lid in beds made as 



described alu m iii _ i 1 wi ith i 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 'sphignum is useful m 

 rooting I' icus elastica th^ base of the cutting bemg- 

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

 moss English ivy oleander and other plants can be 

 struck m water but this method is cumbersome Peter 

 Henderson s saucer method is valuable m hot weather 

 the cuttings are planted in sand kept saturated and 



times the lower ends ire allowed to dry for 

 several hours the tops being protected 

 against wilting Large and succulent cut 

 tings e g , of pineapple cotj ledon cai 

 tus etc should be dried before planting 

 by letting them lie on the surface of tht 

 propagating bed for several dajs or the^ 

 may be planted in drv sand at first Undir 

 these conditions a callus forms which tends 

 to prevent decay but the wood must m t 

 shrivel 



Pet r rr 



Etlu 



of 



geranium 11 lis that the cutting 

 should be paitlj stMred and allowed to 

 hang to the parent plant for a few dajs 

 this results in a partial callus or even roots, 

 before the cutting is entirely removed 



In planting cuttings use a dibble or cpcn 

 a \ shaped trench \ever thrust the cut 

 ting directly into the soil PHnt deep 

 enough to hold the cutting upiight and n ) 

 deeper making due allowince for the siud 

 settling , the distance apart should be lust 

 enough to prevent them from piessnv 

 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 



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. 



