62 HORTICULTURE FOR SCHOOLS 



inches apart. The trench should then be filled with soil 

 and the soil packed down firmly around the cuttings. 

 When the earth is packed tightly, it prevents the buds 

 below the surface from producing shoots. Sometimes all 

 the buds except those which are to be left above ground 

 are removed. Only one or two buds should project out of 

 the soil. 



90. Cuttings of coniferous plants. Many conifers are 

 propagated by hardwood cuttings. Small cuttings are made 

 of the mature wood. The leaves, except those at the lower 

 end, are left on. The cuttings are made and planted in the 

 autumn in sand in a cool greenhouse. They are slow to root. 

 Spruce, for example, generally requires over a year, and many 

 other evergreen plants need one or two years. 



91. Softwood cuttings (Fig. 37). Nearly 

 all plants can be propagated by softwood 

 cuttings. Many herbaceous 1 plants are 

 propagated in this manner altogether. As 

 a rule, the part near the tip of the branch 

 or stalk makes the best softwood cutting. 

 Material for softwood cuttings should 

 not be taken from stems that have al- 

 ready formed wood-fibers, as such cut- 

 tings do not root readily. If the stem 

 from which the cutting is to be made 

 breaks when bent sharply, it is suitable, 

 FIG. 37. Softwood cut- but if it bends without breaking it should 



ting of the carnation. ^ ^ uged 



92. How to make softwood cuttings. The base end of the 

 cutting is usually cut at a node, although in some instances 

 better results are obtained by cutting between the nodes, 

 owing to the fact that the tissues at the nodes have hardened. 



1 An herbaceous plant is one having a soft or succulent stalk or stem, that 

 dies to the root every year, and is thus distinguished from trees and shrubs, 

 which have ligneous, or hard woody stems. 



