108 



GARDENING FOB THE SOUTH. 



of a geranium ready for insertion in the soil. In this 

 case the lower leaves have been removed ; they should be 

 clipped but very little farther from the base than where 

 the cutting is to be inserted in the 

 soil. The leaves being kept near 

 the moist surface, do not evaporate 

 as rapidly as when elevated much 

 above. The petiole (or leaf stalk) 

 should be cut off as close to the 

 stem as can be done without injury 

 to the bark. If much of it is left 

 and buried, in the soil', it is apt to 

 rot and produce decay in the cut- 

 ting itself. If an old leaf or two 

 is left, it will elaborate more sap 

 for the formation of new roots than the very young ones. 

 Cuttings of succulent plants, like the cacti, geranium, etc., 

 require to dry a little that the wound may heal over be- 

 fore inserting in the soil. 



The grape is often propagated from a single eye a 



Fig. 43. GERANIUM CUT 

 TING. 



Fig. 44. THREE FORMS OF GRAPE CUTTINGS. 



mode now very much in use for new varieties. These 

 cuttings, shaped in one of the forms shown in fig. 44, are 



