250 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 29, IH9.8. 



is flooied. If it contain a rich sediment, it is 

 good ; but, il" destitute of this, it is of no use. 



Farmcr''s Jissistant. 



From Loudon's Eiicvclopcdia o( Gardening.- 

 FRUIT. 



Propagation by cuttings has been long known, 

 and is abundantly simple when applied to such 

 free-growing hardy slirubs, as the willow or the 

 trooseberry ; but considered as the chief mode of 

 propagating most of the ericero, myrtece, prote- 

 aceE,^&c. becomes one of the most delicate and 

 difficult modes of continuing the species, and fifty 

 years ago was an operation known to very few of 

 even the first-tate gardeners. Tt may be consider- 

 ed, as to the choice of cuttings, their preparation, 

 thi-ir insertion in the soil, and their future man- 

 agement. 

 °/(i res; '-l to the choice of cuttings, those branch- 

 es of trees and slirubs which are thrown out near- 

 est the ground, and especially such as recline, or 

 nearly so, on the earth's surface, have always the 

 most tendency to produce roots. Even the branch- 

 es of resinous trees, which are extremely difficult 

 to propagate by cuttings, when reclining on the 

 <rround, if accidentally, or otherwise, covered with 

 earth in any part, will there often throw out roots, 

 and the extremity of the lateral shoot will assume 

 the character of a main ?lem, as may be some- 

 times set'n in the larch, spruce, and silver fir. — 

 Cuttings then are to be chosen from the side 

 shoots of plants, rather than from their siimmits 

 or main stems ; and the strength and health, of 

 side shoots being equal, fliose nearest the ground 

 should be preferred. The proper time for taking 

 cuttings from the mother plant is when the sap is 

 in full motion, in order that, in returning by the 

 bark, it may form a callus or protruding ring of 

 wranular substance, between the bark and wood, 

 whence the ro;its proceed. As this callus, or ring 

 of spungy matter, is generally best formed in ri- 

 pened wood, the cutting, when taken from the 

 mother plant, should contain a part of the fornr.er 

 year, or in plants which grow twice a year, of 

 the wood of the former ; or in the case of plants 

 which are continually growing, as most evergreen 

 exotics, B'xh wood as has begun to ripen, or as- 

 sume a brownish color. This is the true princi- 

 ple of the choice of cuttings as to time ; but there 

 are many sorts of trees, as willow, elder, &c. the 

 cuttings of which will grow almost at any season, 

 and even if removed from the mother plant in win- 

 ter, when the sap is comparatively at rest. In 

 these and other trees, the principle of life seems 

 so strong, and so universally diffused over the ve- 

 (Tctible, that very litHe care is requisite for their 

 propagation. Cuttings from herbaceous plants are 

 chiefly chosen from the low growths, which do 

 not indicate a tendency to blossom ; but they will 

 also succeed in many cases, when taken from the 

 flower stems, and some rare sorts of florists' and 

 border flowers, as the dahlia, rocket, cardinal 

 ilower, scarlet lychni.-j, wall flower, &c. are so 

 propagated. 



The prepnrativn of the cutting depends on, or is 

 guided by this principle, that the power of pro- 

 truding buds or roots resides chiefly, and in most 

 cases entirely, at what are called joints, or at 

 those parts where leaves or buds already exist. — 

 Hence it is tliat cuttings ought always to be cut 

 across, with the smoothest and soundest section 

 possible, at an eye or joint. And as buds are in a 

 jnore advanced state in wood somewhat ripened 



or fully formed, than in a state of formation, this 

 section ought to be made in the wood of the 

 growth of the preceding season ; or as it were in 

 the point between the two growths. It is true, 

 that there are many sorts of cuttings, which not 

 only throw out roots from the ring of granulated 

 matter, but also from the sides of every part of ihe 

 stem inserted in the soil, whether old and large. 



they will damp or rot off; and in the case of tub- 

 ular stalked plants, which are in general not very 

 easily struck, owing to the water lodging in the 

 tube, and rotting the cutting, both ends may in 

 some cases (as in common honeysuckle,) be ad- 

 vantageously inserted in the soil, and besides a 

 greater certainty of success, two plants will be 

 produced. Too much light, air, water, heat, or 



or young and small, as willows, currants, vines, | cold are alike injurious. To guard against these 

 «Sic.; but all plants which are difficult to root, as | e.\tromes in tender sorts, the means hitherto de- 

 heaths, camellias, and orange trees, will be found vised, is that of enclosing an atmosphere over the 

 in the first instance, and for several years after cuttings, by means of a h:tnd or bell glass, accord- 

 propagation, to throw out roots only, from the in? to their delicacy. This preserves a uniform 

 ring- of herbaceous matter abo-e mentioned ; and stillness and moisture of atcnosphere. Immersing 

 to facilitate the formation of this ring, by properly f'B pot in earth, (if the cuttings are in pots) has 

 preparing the cuttings of even willows and cur- « tendency to preserve a steady uniform degree 

 lants, must be an obvious advantan-e. It is a com- [ of moisture at the roots ; and shading, or planting 

 mon practice to cut off the whole or part of the 'he cuttings, if in the open air, in a shady situa- 



leaves of cuttings, which is always attended with 'ion- prevents the bad effi'its of excess of light 



bad effects in evergreens, in which the leaves may ]Tlie only method of regulating the heat, is by 

 be said to supply nourishment to the cutting till it,douUo or single coverings of glass or mats, or 

 can sustain itself This is very obvious in the case both A hand glass placed over a bell glass will 

 of striking from buds, which, without a leaf at- preserve in a shady sitUKtion, a very constant de- 

 tached, speedily rot and die. Leaves alone, as in | gfee of heat. What the cpgree of heat ought to 

 bryophyllum calycinum, will even strike root and ; be, is generally decided by the liegree of heat re- 

 form plants in some instances; and the same, as ! 1"isit-3 for the mother plant. Whatever degree 



of heat is natural to the motiier plant when in a 

 growing state, will, in general, be most favorable 

 to the growth of the cuttings. There are, how- 

 ever, some variations, amounting nearly, but not 

 quite, to exceptions. ^Tost species of the erica, 

 dahlia, and geranium strike better when supplied 

 with rither more heat than is requisite for the 

 growth of these plants in tjreen-houses. The 



Professor Thouin observes, may be stated for 

 flowers and fruits. 



Cuttings ivhich are difficult tn strike may be ren- 

 dered more tractable bv previous ringing ; if a 

 ring be made on the shoot which is to furnish the 

 cutting, a callus will be created, which, if insert- 

 ed in the ground after the cutting is taken off, 

 will freely emit roots. A ligature would perhaps 



operate in a similar manner, though not so effi- | '"yt'e 'ribe and campllias require rather less ;— 

 ciently ; it should li^htlv encircle the shoot des- j ^"d 'n general, it may be observed, that to give 

 lined for a cutting, and the lattpr should be taken a lesser portion of heal, and of every thing else 

 off when an accumulation of sap has apparently i P^oper for plants in their rooted and growing 

 been produced. The amputation in the case of ^Mte, is the safest conduct in respect to cuttings 

 the ligature, as well as in that of the ring, must ' o-' 'igneous plants. Cuttings of deciduous hardy 

 be made below the circles, and the cutting must, ''^es taken off in autumn should not, of course, 

 be so planted as to have the callus covered with [ ^ put into heat till spring, hut should be kept 

 gjfth_ j (ormant, like the motlier tree. Cuttings of suc- 



The insertion of the cuttings may seem an easy 'ulents, like geraniums, will do well both with 

 matter, and none hut a practical cultivator would Jrdinary and extraordinary heat, 

 imagine that there could be any difference in the Piping is a. mode of propagating bij cuttings, 

 growth, between cuttings inserted in the middle and is adopted with herbaceous plants having 

 of a pot, and those inserted at its sides. Yet such jointed tubular stems, as the dianlhus tribe; and 

 is actually the case, and some sorts of trees, as several of the grasses, and tree arundos, might be 

 the o-ange, and ceratonia, if inserted in a mere propagated in this manner. When the shoot has 

 mass of earth, will hardjv, if at all, throw out nearly done growing, which generally happens af- 

 .roots. while, if they are inserted in sand, or in ter the blossom h.is expanded, its extremity is to 

 earth at the sides of the pots, so as to touch the be separated at a part of the stem where it is 

 pot in their whole length, they seldom fail of be-, nearly, or at least somewhat indurated or ripened. 

 coming rooted plants. Knight found the mulberry This separation is effected by holding the root end 

 strikc'very well by cuttings, when they were so in-; between the finger and thumb of one hand, bo- 

 sertcd, and when their lower ends touched a stra- I'o^v a pair of leaves, and with the other, pulling 

 tum of gravel or broken pots ; and Hawkins, who | be top part above the pair of leaves, so as to sep- 

 had often tried to strike orange trees, without j n^ate it from the root part of the stem at the 

 success, at last heard of a method (long known to- socket formed by the axills of the leaves, leaving 

 discovered by'Lus- be stem to remain with a tubular or pipe looking 



nurserymen, hut which was re-discovered by 

 come.) by which, at the first trial, eleven cuttings 

 out of thirteen grevv. The art is, to place them to 

 touch the bottom of the pot ; they are then to be 

 plunged in a bark or hot-bed. and kept moist, 



ermination. These pipings, or separated parts, 

 ire inserted without any further preparation, in 

 finely sifted earth, to the depth of the first joint 

 or pijie, gently finned with a small dibber, water- 



The management orcuttin^s nher Ihey arc pUnU ei, ahand glass placed over them, and their fu- 

 ed, depends on the generarprinciplc, that where | tnre ranagement regulated on the same genera! 

 life is weak, all excesses of exterior agency must principles as that of cuttings, 

 have a tendency to yender it extinct. No cutting 



requires to bo planted deep, though such as are Large hog.— A hog was weighed at Wilming- 

 large ought to be inserted deeper than such as ton, (Delaware) last week, the weight of which 

 are small. In the case of evergreens, the leaves was 1,380 pounds. It is supposed that it had not 

 should be kept from touching the soil, otherwise | yet rttained its full growth.— jPcnn. ^a;)cr 



