Gardening for Amateurs 



461 



prepare the compost for cut- 

 tings six weeks before required. 

 It must be quite free from 

 manures of all kinds, as they 

 are not needed. If possible, 

 avoid soil that is without 

 fibre, i.e. consisting of fine 

 particles more or less dust-like 

 in character. Very fine soil 

 should be sifted from the 

 fibrous and replaced by sifted 

 leaf - soil. Fibrous loam, 2 

 parts ; leaf - soil (sufficiently 

 decayed to be readily rubbed 

 through a f-inch -sieve), 2 

 parts ; silver sand or washed 

 and dried road-grit, 1 part ; 

 wood ashes and half-decayed 

 leaves (the latter for placing 

 in the bottom of the pots or 

 boxes, and to be used separ- 

 ately), 1 part, are suitable. 



Mix the sand or road-grit 

 with the fibrous loam first, 

 then add the other ingre- 

 dients, and mix all together 

 again. Store in a cool, open 

 shed until wanted for use. 



For single cuttings, small, 

 deep 60 flower pots (2J inches 

 wide) are best, and they must 

 be washed and thoroughly 

 dried before use. 



The crocks, too, should be 

 clean and dry ; one crock in 

 each pot is sufficient. If the 

 interior of the pots is dirty 

 the compost adheres to them, 

 and thus many valuable young 

 roots are spoilt when the 

 rooted cuttings are turned out. 



Choosing Cuttings. The 

 cultivator must not be content 

 with inferior cuttings unless 

 they are of very rare new 

 varieties, and difficult to ob- 

 tain. Choose the best. Now, 

 what kind of cutting is the 

 best, some readers may ask. 

 Why, those sucker growths 

 coming up through the soil 

 and quite clear of the old 

 plant stem. Further, those 



Showing how the 

 cutting is made 

 by removal of 

 the lower leaves 

 and cutting be- 

 neath a joint. A 

 indicates depth at 

 which to insert. 



Inserting the cuttings in a pot of 

 sandy soil. 



