Propagation by Cuttings. 201 



their requirements and in the manner of development 

 of the plants, viz., propagation by cuttings and by 

 grafting. 



a,— Propagation by Cuttings. 



358. A Cutting is a detached member of a plant, in- 

 tended to be placed in the soil or some other medium 

 for propagation. It may be in an active or a dormant 

 state (13), and may or may not contain a growing 

 point (66). Before the cutting can become a plant, it 

 must develop the essential part or parts of the plant 

 that it lacks; i. e., the stem and the leaves or the root, 

 or all these members. Cuttings of the stem are usually 

 planted with their proximal end (115) in the soil, and 

 their distal end in the air. Root cuttings are generally 

 covered in the soil. 



359. Nearly All Plants may be Propagated by Cut- 

 tings from one or another of their parts. The ease 

 with which plants may be multiplied in this way varies 

 greatly in different species (21), and even in different 

 varieties of the same species. The appearance of a 

 plant does not always indicate the facility with which 

 it may be grown from cuttings; the only sure way to 

 ascertain this is by trial. 



Climate exerts a marked influence upon the tendency 

 of plants to develop from cuttings. In certain loca- 

 tions in southern Europe and in parts of South Amer- 

 ica, branches of the common apple tree, sharpened and 

 driven into the ground as stakes, often take root and 

 sometimes even bear fruit during the same season. A 



a 



