June 28, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



15 



. METHODS OF PROPAGATION. 



(Extracts from a paper read by T. I). Hatfield, 

 of Wellesley, Mass., at a meeting of tbe Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society.] 



The propagation of plants may be 

 divided into the following classes: By 

 cuttings; by layers; by grafts; by divi- 

 sion, and by seeds and spores. 



In the use of cuttings, the first thing 

 necessary is a propagating bed and the 

 means to care for freshly rooted plants. 

 If you have no house for the purpose, 

 close in a part of a bench with glazed 

 sash or with cotton cloth. Bottom heat 

 will be needed and can be obtained by 

 closing in the hot water pipes under the 

 bench. About five inches of good, clean, 

 gray sand, as a propagating medium, is 

 necessary. There should be a few de- 

 grees more heat in the bed than in the 

 air; a bottom heat of 75 to 78 degrees is 

 about right. If there is too much bot- 

 tom heat, vents must be provided to 

 allow the surplus heat to escape. 



The idea of closing in the bed over- 

 head is to control the air and sunlight, 

 as fresh cuttings and grafts lose much 

 by respiration in the daytime. The bed 

 may be aired at night, when there is less 

 respiration. This airing will help to 

 harden the cuttings as they become 

 rooted. 



Booting Softwood Cuttings. 



If the cutting has opposite leaves, 

 cut it off at a joint and it will root there 

 or thereabouts. If the cutting has al- 

 ternate leaves, like the heliotrope, cut 

 it anywhere, and it will root anywhere 

 along the stem. Some leaves should be 

 taken oflF, to reduce respiration. The 

 proper condition of the wood and the 

 conditions under which cuttings will 

 root can be learned only by experience. 



It will be safe to make the sand quite 

 firm and the cuttings quite firm in the 

 bed; also to give them plenty of water 

 and protection from sunlight for the first 

 few days. As they root, loss water and 

 less shade will be required. The best 

 time to root softwood cuttings is in the 

 spring, as the conditions can be more 

 easily controlled. 



In this way can be rooted all green- 

 house stock, such as heliotropes, carna- 

 tions, stevias, salvias, softwood cuttings 

 of roses, lantanas, fuchsias, abutilons, 

 geraniums, leaf cuttings of begonias, 

 growing cuttings of azaleas, hoatlis, aca- 

 cias, cytisus, and some varieties of an- 

 tirrhinums and agcratums. 



When lilacs, deutzias, spiraeas, pliila- 

 del])hus and other spring-flowering 

 shrubs are forced under glass, this af- 

 fords means of propagating these plants 

 from soft cuttings. This fact is often 

 taken advantage of by nurserymen with 

 rare shrubs, such as Daphne Kneorum, to 

 force the plants under glass for cuttings, 

 and root them in the spring. It is often 

 the best way. 



Half -ripe and Hardwood Cuttings. 



In general practice, however, many 

 tree and shrub cuttings are rooted from 

 half-ripened wood taken from outdoors 

 during tiie summer. For these the prop- 

 agating bed may be used without bot- 

 tom heat, thougli it is sometimes done 

 in a cool greenhouse in flats, and may 

 be done in a coldfranie. 



Tliis is a good way to root, in addition 

 to those ))reviously mentioned, ever- 

 green azaleas, viburnums, cotoneasters, 

 forsythias, ligustrunis, cataljias, loni- 

 ceras, syni])ii()ri('arpos, and some rnsos 

 taken with a heel. All spring-rooted 

 cuttings should be potted at once. 

 Shrub and tree cuttings, rooted after 



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I WHO'S WHO TJ!^. AND WHY | 



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WILLIAM C. GLOECKNER. 



WILLIAM C. GLOP]CKNP]R, of Albany, is the New York state capital's cap- 

 ital florist. Everyone in Albany wlio can read knows that Mr. (Jloeckner 

 sells flowers, because he is one of those persistent advertisers wlio advertise per- 

 sistently. p]ver and anon The Review reprints one of Mr. Gloeckner's advertise- 

 ments for the reason they all are original. Mr. Gloeckner lived thirty years l)efore 

 he entered tlie trade ten years ago. His father and grandfather before him had 

 been florists and it was only natural that he should follow suit when lie reached 

 the age of discretion. He is a life member of tlie S. A. F., chairman of the florists' 

 section of the International Association of Rotary Clubs and a strong booster for 

 the F. T. 1). Which leaves nothing to be said except that he is married and has one 

 son, wlio, it is expected, will represent the fourtli generation of the family in 

 tlie trade. 



iiiidsiiiiinier, arc often left where rooted 

 until spring. 



With many of the trees and slinil)s 

 there is another chance, and that is by 

 liardwood cuttings taken after the 

 leaves fall. Tlie nursery jiractice is, for 

 such as lilacs, deutzias, sjiira'as and 

 many others given in the previous lists, 

 to make cuttings in tlie autumn, tie 

 them in bundles, and store them in moist 

 soil or sand until spring. During tiie 

 winter they will form a callus or root- 

 bearing surface. They should be plant- 

 ed out in spring and a fair jiercentage 

 of them will root during the summer. 



Root Cuttings. 



Many trees and shrubs may be prop- 

 agated from root cuttings, more tlian is 

 generally sujijiosed. The practice is to 

 cut up roots and store them in flats of 

 sandy soil over winter. This may be 

 done with the quince, ailanthus, clad- 



rastis, elff-agnus, fothergilla, elm, 

 l>riiinis, wistaria, and some roses, such 

 as R. lucida, R. rugosa, R. cinnamoniea 

 and R. aljdiia. Some of these root cut- 

 tings, especially from trees, will take 

 two years to make plants. This is a 

 coiiiiiiDii practice with the Japanese 

 aiienioiie and some greenhouse plants, 

 sucli as dieffenbachias, draca-nas and 

 lioinnrdias. 



I 'I'll !)(• (•(Mitiniieil. | 



BeUeville, 111.— L. F. Dintelinann 

 reports an exc(dlent season with jieo- 

 nies. Due de Wellington is one of his 

 favorite varieties. 



Sturgis, Mich.— A liail storm last 

 week damaged glass and stock in the 

 John Vogt greciilioiise to tlie extent of 

 ■$1.10. Five years ago a similar storm, 

 though more severe, wrecked the house 

 completely. The loss tliis time is cov- 

 ered l)v insurance. 



