DECEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 341 



This apparatus, with reasonable care, will be perfectly 

 safe and will not require attention frequently. If the lamp 

 seems to heat the tin above it too much, the shallow box 

 may be raised to any desired height on blocks. The cut- 

 tings box, which should of course be of the same size as the 

 others, should be placed on top of the second box. The mild 

 bottom heat secured in this way will greatly facilitate the 

 rapid rooting of the cuttings. If two flats of cuttings are 

 to be rooted they may be set crossways of the box and any 

 warm-blooded cuttings, such as heliotrope, salvia or coleus 

 may be placed in the middle. 



When the cuttings are rooted, which will usually be in two 

 to four weeks, they should be taken from the sand and put 

 into pots or into other flats. Do not let the roots get very 

 long — a quarter of an inch is long enough. If room is very 

 scarce set the plants in a flat. Fill this with fairly rich 

 earth containing a good proportion of sand, and see that it is 

 well drained. Plant the little rooted cuttings in this, about 

 two inches apart each way, shading them for a few days 

 from the hot sun, and watering them sparingly until after 

 they have become established. Or they may be put singly 

 into two or two-and-a-half inch pots, or several cuttings may 

 be placed in a four or five inch pot; in the latter case, plant 

 your cuttings near the edge of the pot, and be very careful 

 about overwatering. 



Buy Some Novelties Now 



If you want to keep your flower garden up to date you 

 will be interested in trying several of the best of the novel- 

 ties that appear from time to time. Now is the proper 

 time of the year to get at low prices some of the fine new 

 things that are offered. You will have to get smaller plants 

 than if you waited until the bedding season, but there is 

 ample time to grow them into good-sized plants before 

 they should be set out. Space in greenhouse, hot-bed or 

 warm window, and a supply of pots and soil, are the only 

 requisites. 



