222 PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS 



ruptured and placed in contact with moist sand, they 

 readily develop stems and roots. With such plants, the 

 following method of propagation is practiced. The leaf 

 may be spread upon a cutting bench and pinned down with 

 toothpicks thrust through the ribs, or the ribs may be cut 

 slightly, and the leaf held in close contact with the surface 

 of the sand by means of light weights placed on top of the 

 leaf. From the wounds, roots develop, and the plant after- 

 wards produces leaves. 



Leaves may also be cut into small wedge-shaped pieces, 

 each piece containing a portion of a midrib. These pieces 

 may be set vertically in the sand like ordinary cuttings, 

 and roots will develop from the point of the midrib. In 

 selecting leaves for cuttings, vigorous, healthy, well- 

 matured ones should be used. Leaf cuttings are handled 

 in the same manner as softwood cuttings, in so far as temper- 

 ature and moisture are concerned. 



Stem Cuttings. One of the most common methods of 

 propagation is by stem cuttings. From some plants, the 

 cuttings are taken when the wood is matured ; cuttings 

 thus taken are called hardwood cuttings. From other 

 plants they are taken from the growing immature stems, 

 and are called softwood cuttings. As the treatment for 

 each is quite different, it is necessary to consider them 

 separately. 



Hardwood Cuttings are made any time after the stems 

 have dropped their leaves in the fall, and before the buds 

 start in the spring. The wood at this time is matured 

 and quite dormant. Hardwood cuttings generally require 

 a long time to root, therefore it is advisable to make them 

 in the fall or early winter in order to allow them time to 

 callus before spring. 



