APRIL 13, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



13 



Getting Out Fourteen Hundred Plant Orders in One Day. 



cutting, and this bars the taking of any 

 shoot with a flower or flower bud at the 

 tip, as the growth of such a shoot has 

 already nearly reached its natural limit. 

 On the other hand, plants that have been 

 growing rankly will not be able to main- 

 tain themselves when suddenly cut off 

 from the liberal supply of nourishment 

 to which they have been accustomed. 

 Plants grown in the shade, with, per- 

 haps, in addition an exc6BS of moisture, 

 will provide watery shoots with little of 

 the solid substance necessary to the for- 

 mation of roots. 



The ideal material, then, for making 

 into cuttings must not be too watery or 

 too rank in growth, but should possess 

 the maximum of solid substance in itielf 

 consistent with the possession of leaves 

 with their vital Xunctions unimpaired by 

 age. 



The Sight Preparation. 



Then as to the preparation of the cut- 

 tings. Prom what has been said above, 

 it will be seen that if the cutting is too 

 long, or the leaves too large, failure vrill 

 result from excessive transpiration, while 

 if the cutting is too small the formation 

 of roots will be slow. What is a long 

 cutting for plants with slender laterals, 

 like the antirrhinum, is short for thick 

 growth like that of the zonal pelargo- 

 nium. The shoots should always be cut 

 straight across just below a joint, and 

 this should be done with a sharp knife, 

 M a smooth cut heals over much more 

 quickly than a ragged edge. 



Many plants lend themselves to the 

 taking of laterals as cuttings with a heel 

 attached, and such cuttings need little 

 preparation beyond the removal of the 

 lower leaves close to the stem, and pos- 

 sibly' a trimming of the heel. In the 

 fuchsia it is usual to remove two large 

 leaves and perhaps two small ones, but 

 in the pentstemon sometiitaes as many as 

 •ix or eight. 



An interesting point was raised by 

 Professor George Henslow, in a paper 

 fead before the Royal Horticultural So- 

 ciety in June, 1908, on ' ' The Absorption 

 of Rain and Dew by the Green Parts of 

 Plants." He referred to a German 

 scientist, who, in accord with his theory 

 •^1 at the frequent fading of cuttings be- 

 fore they have struck root is to be ac- 

 counted for by the fact that the trans- 

 P' ration from the exposed leaves is 

 greater than the amount of water which 

 tlie cut end can supply, recommends that 



the cutting should be longer than usual, 

 and that some of the leaves should be 

 buried to assist in the absorption of 

 water. It is claimed that cuttings of 

 roses, pinks, and others usually not easy 

 to strike, will make good roots in thlB 

 way if the soil is porous enough to per- 

 mit of the free access of air to encourage 

 the formation of roots- before the leaves 

 have time to decay. This is a case where 

 each may experiment for himself, but it 

 is certainly suggestive. 



The Bight Time. 



The time for taking cuttings is too 

 various to admit even of generalization, 

 there being no time of the year which is 

 not the best time for some plants, as we 

 take chrysanthemum cuttings from No- 

 vember to March, most things in the 

 spring, carnations and pelargoniums in 

 the summer, calceolarias and pentstemons 

 in the autumn. Many plants will strike 

 at any time of the year, though there is 

 a best time for most, and experience is 

 the best teacher. As a rule, however, 

 most soft-wooded plants strike well in 

 the spring. 



The compost in which cuttings are put 

 is in many cases important, though some 

 will strike freely enough in the ordinary 

 soil of the border. Silver sand is one of 

 the best mediums for most plants, not 

 only for mixing with the soil, but for 

 putting round each cutting, as, being free 

 from animal matter, it delays putrefac- 



tion, and, by reason of its fineness, as- 

 sists in the rise of water to the base of 

 the cutting, besides filling up every in- 

 terstice so that there is no likelihood of 

 the cut end being suspended clear of con- 

 tact — a fatal error. 



Pots should be filled half-full of clean 

 potsherds, and rough material put over 

 these. If the soil is dry it should be 

 well soaked and left for some time before 

 the cuttings are put in it. Many cut- 

 tings do best when inserted round the 

 sides of a pot, though others do equally 

 well in any part. 



Later Treatment. 



There is one point about the after 

 treatment which is of general application, 

 and that is that the cuttings should not 

 be allowed to flag more than can be 

 helped. To compensate for the dimin- 

 ished power of absorbing moisture on the 

 part of the cuttings, we usually keep 

 them in a moist atmosphere, often, in- 

 deed, within a propagating frame inside 

 a greenhouse. 



There is an immense difference in the 

 amount of moisture which cuttings of 

 different kinds of plants will stand, and 

 a degree which is necessary to some will 

 cause others to damp off rapidly, but the 

 liability to do this is lessened in all cases 

 by a proper airing at least once a day. 

 This applies also when bell glasses are 

 used, as these, when pressed tightly down 

 on the soil, are almost air-proof. The 

 air in these is consequently maintained 

 in a very close state, and cuttings of 

 many plants can be successfully raised 

 under them. Some need bottom heat, so 

 that not only the air, but the soil in 

 which the cuttings are put, is kept warm, 

 thus accelerating the formation of roots. 

 Most need shading from the direct rays 

 of the sun, but an almost full amount 

 of diffused sunshine is beneficial as a 

 rule. If the weather is cool, water should 

 be applied very sparingly, and then only 

 enough to wet the leaves, which is usually 

 sufficient so long as the soil is mout 

 about the base of the cuttings. 



THE MAIL OBDEB PLANT TRADE. 



This is proving an exceptionally 

 heavy season for the plant department 

 of the Iowa Seed Co., Des Moines. They 

 frequently fill from 600 to 1,000 plant 

 orders per day, but one day last week 

 they filled and packed for shipment by 

 mail or express 1,400 plant orders. What 

 that means during freezing weather 

 every plant shipper will appreciate. A 



Greenhouse Employees of the Iowa Seed Q)., Des Moines, Iowa. 



