40 CUTTINGS AND LAYERINGS 



Hard Wood, or Ripe Wood Cuttings.— There are several types 

 of woody cuttings: (1) simple cuttings containing two or more 

 buds, (2) mallet cuttings where a piece of the main stem remains 

 attached to the branch containing the buds, (3) heel cuttings 

 where a portion is cut from the side of the main stem where the 



branch used for the cutting orig- 

 inated, (4) single eye cuttings 

 containing a short piece of stem 

 bearing one bud only. These 

 types are shown in figure 25. 



Making Hard Wood Cut- 

 tings. — Probably the best time 

 for making hard wood cuttings 

 is after the leaves have fallen 

 from the twigs in late fall or 

 early winter. A sharp pair of 

 pruning shears or a sharp knife 

 may be used. Large numbers of 

 cuttings can be made without 

 injury to the parent plants and 

 little time is consumed in the 

 process. 



How Stored. — If the cut- 

 tings are made in the fall or 

 early winter they should b6 

 stored. A suitable storage place 

 is the common cellar or vege- 

 table pit. The cuttings are tied 

 in bundles and properly labelled. 

 fig. 25.— Forms of hard wood cuttings, s, a wooden label and soft pencil 



simple; M t mallet; H f heel; E, single eye. r 



should be used. Indicate the 

 number, kind and date. Immerse these bundles in wet sand or 

 wet sawdust in boxes which are well drained and keep them thor- 

 oughly wet until planting time the next spring. 



Callousing. — During the storage period the cut surfaces become 

 calloused or healed over, and it is believed that the roots start best 

 from near the calloused surfaces. Many hard wood cuttings will 

 not grow unless they have passed through the callousing period. 

 There are a number of exceptions to this, however. 



Planting Hard Wood Cuttings. — No definite rule can be given 

 regarding the best time for planting the cuttings in the open garden 



