66 



CUTTAGE. 



is the manner in which the shoot breaks. If, upon being 

 bent, the shoot snaps off squarely so as to hang together 



with only a bit of 

 bark, as in the upper 

 break in Fig. 68, it 

 is in the proper con- 

 dition for cuttings ; 

 but if it bends or 

 simply crushes, as in 

 ► the lower portion of 

 the figure, it is either 

 too old or too young 

 69. Soft cuttings (.xK) for good results. 



The tips of the shoots of soft-wooded plants are usually 

 eXTiployed, and all or a portion 

 of the leaves are allowed to 

 remain. The cuttings are in- 

 serted in sharp sand to a suffi- 

 cient depth to hold them in 

 place, and the atmosphere and 

 soil must be kept moist to pre- 

 vent wilting or 

 "flagging." The 

 cuttings should 



also be shaded for the first week or two. It 

 is a common practice to cover newly set cut- 

 tings with newspapers during the heat of the 

 day. A propagating-frame is often employed. 

 Soft cuttings are commonly cut below a bud 

 or cut to a heel, but this is unnecessary in 

 easily rooted plants like geranium, coleus, 

 heliotrope, etc. Fig. 69 shows an oleander 



^ , ^ cutting at a, a carnation at b, and a geranium 

 yi. One style of « , . . -,, ■ . t^. 



chrysanthe- at c. A coleus cuttmg IS illustrated in Fig. 70. 

 UjI). '"'''"^ Many growers prefer to make a larger cutting 

 of some firm-wooded plants, like chrysanthe- 

 mums, as shown in Fig. 71. 



70. Coleus cutting (xj^). 



