120 



THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



conveniently employed, and these are half filled with pieces of 

 broken pot to ensure free access of air, and over this is spread 



a thin layer of decayed leaves. Into 

 the pots is firmly pressed a potting 

 mixture composed of two parts of 

 " loam," two parts of leaf -mould, 

 and one part of sharp white sand. 

 With a sharp knife take the cuttings 

 from strong side shoots just below 

 a node, and trim off the lower leaves 

 from the cutting. Five or six such 

 cuttings may be planted in a six- 

 inch pot. In planting them, the 

 essential point to observe is to make 

 FIG. 55. Propagation by Cuttings, sure that the soil is pressed firmly 

 A, cuttings in a pot ; B, pots of aga i nst the base of the cutting. 



cuttings in a frame. ATT-.-U n J--U-LI t, t 



With a small dibble as many holes 



are made, equidistant from each other and from the circumference 

 of the pot, as there are cuttings. In the case of small cuttings, 

 such as those of Lobelia, these holes should be only about one to 

 one and a half inches in depth. Insert the cuttings one by one, 

 and as each is placed in the hole insert the dibble in the soil a 

 little on one side, so as to press the soil firmly against the length 

 and base of the cutting. 



Herbaceous cuttings have little reserve food material in their 

 stems and leaves, and tend also to lose relatively considerable 

 quantities of water by transpiration from the leaves and stem. 

 If too much water is thus lost before the cutting produces roots 

 it will wilt and die. Subsequent treatment aims accordingly at 

 reducing transpiration and at inducing rapid formation of roots. 

 The three conditions which favour root formation in these circum- 

 stances are warmth, moisture, and oxygen at the cut surface. 

 When the cuttings have been planted we water them well, and 

 transfer to a hot-bed. The hot-bed must have been prepared some 

 days beforehand. At least two loads of good horse manure is 

 required even for a small frame. A rectangular area one foot 

 longer and one foot wider than the frame is marked on the 

 ground, and covered with a layer of manure. This is well trodden 



