I08 PLANT PROPAGATION 



tile (Fig. 94), enough drainage is ])rovided between the 

 tiles; but with wooden benches it is often necessary tu 

 bore holes in the boards and to protect these with pieces 

 of flower pot or to stuff ■ sphagnum moss loosely into 

 them and the larger cracks between the boards. Other- 

 wise too much sand will wash down and be lost and the 

 cuttings may suffer. 



For best results, water in media for rooting cuttings, as 



in soil for crops, should be in the form of thin films 



around ooil or sand particles. The finer the particles the 



larger the quantity of water that may be 



held and usually the harder will the soil 



pack — both undesirable in a cutting bed. 



The familiar example to illustrate the for- 



FiG 96— "^^'' point is of a cube. This has six sides, 



„cM-r„ ,-^„r. but cut in half the bulk has not been in- 



VENTILATED , , , r , ■, 



CUTTING POT creased though two new surfaces have been 

 added and the possible film area thus in- 

 creased one-third. Repeated sub-division thus increases 

 the surface area without increasing the bulk. Hence the 

 high water-holding capacity of fine sand and soil. 



158. Double pots are often used for small lots of cut- 

 tings because of their convenience (Fig. 95). In a 

 large pot is placed a liberal handful of "crocks" (91), 

 clinkers or other drainage material. Sand is added to 

 a depth sufficient to admit a small pot set upon it so the 

 rims of both pots are on a level. The drainage hole of 

 the smaller pot is plugged so no water can escape, except 

 by seepage through the sides or by evaporation. After 

 adjusting the smaller, sand is placed between the two 

 pots, the smaller filled with water and cuttings stuck in 

 the sand for rooting. The water in the little reservoir 

 seeps out and keeps the sand moist but never too wet for 

 the cuttings. Scarcely more attention is needed than to 

 keep the little pot full of water. 



159. Shading, especially of newly made greenwood and 

 leaf cuttings, is essential to success because the moisture 



