CHAP. ITT. CUTTINGS. 70 



about two or three weeks or a month, the little silver-like roots 

 appear, and in a week or ten days I plant them in small pots well 

 watered ; they never seem to flag, or mind the change, and I rarely 

 lose a slip."* 



Furthermore Sir J. Paxton observes : 



" The cuttings should be of green wood, taken during the full- 

 growing season ; such succeed best, and never flag beneath a hot 

 sun. Yery young spring shoots of Erythrinse succeed in this way. 

 When tubular or fibrous roots appear about the base, transfer to 

 any light soil. Balsams and Dahlias propagate freely. Plants of 

 the Melon-tribe may be formed in a very short period (sometimes 

 in three days), and being transferred to small pots of heath-mould, 

 will produce perfect balls of roots in less than a week."f 



I have myself practised this method during the Cold season 

 with Verbenas, Habrothamnus, Salvia splendens, and Koses, and 

 found no method more successful or less troublesome. The 

 points to be attended to as most conducive to success I conclude 

 to be the following : 



1. That the cuttings be the summits of the youngest shoots 

 in a state of vigorous growth at the time. 



2. That capacious bottles be used, so that there be less 

 likelihood of the water becoming foul. 



3. That the water be changed often, to insure its being quite 

 pure. 



4. That when changed it be tepid, so as to afford in some 

 degree the bottom heat, so essential for the speedy formation 

 of a callus. 



5. That the cuttings be sheltered from wind and sun, but 

 otherwise have all the light and air possible. 



6. That they be removed out of the cold air into the house at 

 night ; and if the bottles be plunged half-way up in a tepid bath, 

 probably so much the better. 



THE STRIKING OF CUTTINGS IN SAND AND WATER. 



This is obviously nothing more than a modification of the 

 practice last described, the sand answering no purpose but the 



* ' Theory and Practice of Horticulture,' p. 297, 2nd ed. 

 t ' Magazine of Botany,' vol. iv. p. 182. 



