CHAPTER IV 
CUTTINGS 
NExtT to raising plants from seed the system of propa- 
gation most extensively practised is that of striking or 
rooting cuttings. By this method the characters of the 
parent are exactly reproduced, which is not always the 
case with seedlings, as they are often subject to con- 
siderable variation. 
A very large proportion of cultivated plants can be 
readily propagated by cuttings, although distinct methods 
and treatment are imperative to effect it with any degree 
of reliance, according to the different kinds of plants it 
is wished to increase. Some cuttings grow readily when 
made from the young and soft growth of the stems of 
herbaceous plants; others from the hardened wood of 
the current year’s growth, such as Currants and Goose- 
berries ; Vines and Hollyhocks from single eyes. With 
many, cuttings of the leaves is an interesting way of 
raising a stock of the Rex Begonias, Gloxinias, 
Saintpaulias, and many other fleshy-leaved subjects, 
while root-cuttings provide a safe and easy way of in- 
creasing vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs, common 
examples of this method being Horseradish, Seakale, 
Bouvardias, Clerodendrons, Clematis, Poplar, Rhus, and 
most trees that throw up root-suckers. 
In connection with this method of propagation one 
important rule should be strictly observed, and that is to 
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