PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 93 



CUTTINGS. 



Cuttings are pieces of the branches or roots which have 

 the power of growing and forming new plants when placed in 

 moist sand, soil, or other material: for example, the pieces of 

 the twigs on branches of many kinds of willows and poplars 

 when taken while the tree is dormant will root when placed in 

 moist soil, but there are few other trees that grow as readily 

 from cuttings as these: cuttings of the roots of many kinds 

 of trees as the White Poplar, Wild Plum, Yellow Locust and 

 many others that sprout from the roots will grow if treated 

 about the same way as branch cuttings. 



In growing trees from cuttings the source of the cuttings 

 is not of so great importance as the source of the seed from 

 which the stock trees were grown, for the qualities of indi- 

 vidual trees are probably not permanently or greatly changed 

 by climate. For instance, trees grown from the cuttings of 

 Russian Poplars would he as hardy in Minnesota if the 

 cuttings came from St. Louis, where they had been growing 

 for years, as they would be if imported direct from Siberia, 

 however, owing to a longer growing season at St. Louis the 

 wood might be of a more open texture and perhaps might not 

 resist cold as well as Minnesota grown wood, but after one 

 season's growth in Minnesota it would probably be as hardy. 

 The same would hold true of plants propagated by any 

 method of division. With the exception of willows and pop- 

 lars, very few of our ornamental trees grow readily from 

 cuttings. The best time to make cuttings is in the fall as soon 

 as the leaves will strip easily from the twigs. Most of the 

 willows and poplars will grow readily from cuttings made in the 

 spring and even those made in summer will generally grow if 

 planted in moist soil. For this purpose the smaller branches 

 with the leaves removed should be used. They may also be 

 rooted from growing twigs with the leaves left on provided 

 the cut surfaces are placed in water as they would be if stuck 

 in the soil of a swamp or treated the same as cuttings of 

 geraniums. These latter ways, however, are not to be de- 

 pended upon for general propagation purposes. 



The Form and Size of Cuttings is a matter upon which there 

 is great difference of opinion. Cuttings of the Willow from 



