THE USE OF SHOOTS FOE PROPAGATING 179 



reduces ,t]ie assimilation of the leaves also to a minimum, and 

 therefore decay often sets in on the cut surface and the cut- 

 tings are doomed. Herbaceous cuttings should, therefore, only 

 be shaded during the first few days, and should very soon 

 become accustomed to' the normal illumination. After that 

 allow the air to circulate among the leaves, and do not be 

 afraid of the drooping of the leaves when the sun is shining 

 on the cuttings. Gradually the cuttings will get accustomed 

 to a more sunny and drier atmosphere, even if they have as yet 

 no roots. 



The great mistake in the treatment of herbaceous cuttings 

 is to water them too much and to keep them too much closed 

 in, in order to prevent them drooping. Even the most porous 

 substance in which the cuttings are placed will act deleteriously 

 if it becomes water-logged. The oxygen of the air is then 

 prevented from reaching the delicate cut surface, fermentative 

 changes commence in the cells, and the decay of the cut surface 

 begins. 



Herbaceous cuttings always require a well-aerated soil. 



The art of the cultivator consists in executing these 

 precepts in the way most suited to the individuality of the 

 cutting. 



No general rules can be given as to the amount of light, 

 moisture, air, or heat necessary for cuttings, as the requirements 

 of various plants differ so considerably. If, therefore, cuttings 

 of many different plants are put into one propagating frame, 

 some of the cuttings will very soon damp off Let us just 

 mention one or two of the most striking peculiarities. The 

 scarlet Pelargoniums are so fond of light, and can dispense with 

 water so well, that the cuttings may be put directly in the bed 

 near the mother-plant. The same is the case vnth Pelargonium 

 grandiflorum, which grows without much difficulty if the young 

 tips are placed in a pot with sand in the sunny position 

 occupied by the mother-plant. At the commencement they 

 will droop, and the oldest leaves will actually dry up, but the 

 young tips very soon recover, and remain turgid until the 

 cuttings have rooted. If you tried a similar experiment with 

 a cutting of the Heliotrope or Lobelia, the cuttings might easily 

 be killed by a single hot day. They will, however, grow in a 



