104 



THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



There are comparatively few species in which they form the 

 most available means of multiplication. In some cases, 

 variegation will not be reproduced by the rooted 

 leaf. This is true in the ivy-leaved geranium 

 L'Elegante; a good plant may be obtained, but it 

 reverts to the plain-leaved type. 



Cuttings of stems 



Cuttings of the stem divide themselves into two 

 general classes : those known as cuttings of the ripe, 

 mature or hard wood ; and cuttings of the green, 

 immature or soft wood. The two classes run into 

 each other, and no hard and fast line can be drawn 

 between them. 



( 1) Hardwood dormant cuttings. 

 By the term hardwood is meant wood or tissue 

 that is mature or nearly so and will not grow any 

 more till the following season. The leaves may not 

 have fallen, but the growth of the season (at least 

 in length) is completed. 



Cuttings of the hard dormant wood are made at 

 any time from late summer to spring. It is advis- 

 able to make them in autumn, to allow them to cal- 

 lus before the planting season, and to forestall injury 

 from a severe winter. They may be taken as early 

 as August, or as soon as the wood is mature, and 

 be stripped of leaves. Callusing then takes place in 

 time to allow of fall planting. Or, the cuttings 

 FIG 111 taken in early fall may be planted immediately, 

 Currant cut- and be allowed to callus where they stand. All 

 tmg (x ). j? a jj cu tting-beds should be mulched, to prevent 

 the heaving of the cuttings. As a rule, however, dormant 

 hardwood cuttings are buried on a sandy knoll or are stored 



