THE PROPAGATION OF PLANTS 211 



to rot at the surface of the bed, is promoted by ex- 

 cessive heat, over-watering or insufficient light or air; 

 also by decomposing organic matter in the material of 

 the bed. Affected cuttings should be promptly removed 

 and the trouble corrected. 



Green cuttings should be potted as soon as roots form, 

 which may be detected by their foliage assuming a bright 

 color. They should first be placed in small pots, and 

 until they have commenced growth in these, should be 

 treated precisely as before they were potted. 



379. Kinds of green cuttings. Propagation by green 

 cuttings includes three divisions, of which the requirements 

 differ in some respects, viz., propagation by cuttings of 

 herbaceous plants, of woody plants and of the leaf or 

 parts of the leaf (leaf cuttings). 



380. How to make green cuttings of herbaceous 

 plants. In herbaceous plants roots develop most read- 

 ily from the younger and more succulent parts of the 

 stem. Bend the shoot near its terminus in the form 

 of a U, and then press the parts together. If the stem 

 breaks with a snap, it is in the proper condition to root 

 promptly ; if it bends without breaking, it has become too 

 hard. Cutting below a node (115) is not essential to the 

 formation of roots in herbaceous plants. 1 



While the propagating house or hotbed is necessary 

 to the extensive multiplication of herbaceous plants by 

 green cuttings, the amateur may readily propagate a 

 limited number of plants by the so-called " saucer sys- 

 tem." The cuttings may be placed in glazed saucers 



1 In a few plants, such as the dahlia, the presence of a dormant 

 bud at the crown is essential to the development of the stem the 

 succeeding year. Cuttings of such plants should therefore be 

 made below a node, if the roots are desired for future use. 



