LENGTHS OF CUTTINGS. 



63 



knoll or are stored in moss, sand or sawdust in ; 

 until spring. (See page 56. ) 



There is no general rule to govern the length of 

 hard-wood cuttings. Most propagators prefer to 

 make them 6 to 10 inches long, as this is a conve- 

 nient length to handle, but the shorter length is 

 preferable. Two buds are always to be taken, 

 one bud or one pair at the top and one at the 

 bottom, but in "short-jointed" plants more are 

 obtained. Sometimes all but the top buds are re- 

 moved to prevent the starting of shoots or sprouts 

 from below the soil. Grape cuttings are now 

 commonly cut to two or three buds (Fig. 59), two 

 being the favorite number for most varieties. (See 

 grape, Chapter VI.) Currant and gooseberry cut- 

 tings (Fig. 65) usually bear from 6 to 10 buds. 

 All long hard-wood cuttings are set perpendicu- 

 larly, or nearly so, and only one or two buds are 

 allowed to stand above the surface. 



When the stock is rare, cuttings are made of 

 single eyes or buds. This is particularly the case 

 with the grape (see Chapter VI.), and currants and 

 many other plants are occasionally grown in the 

 same manner. Fig. 66 shows a single-eye grape 

 cutting. Such cuttings, whatever the species, are 

 commonly started under glass witli bottom heat, 

 either upon a cutting-bench or in a hotbed, being 

 planted an inch or so deep in a horizontal position, 

 with the bud up. The soil should be kept uni- 

 formly moist, and when the leaves appear the 

 plants should be frequently sprinkled. In from 30 

 to 40 days the plants are ready to pot off. Single- 

 eye cuttings are usually started about three or four 

 months before the season is fit for outdoor ] lant- 

 ing, or about February in the northern states. 

 The most advisable method of treatment varies 

 with the season and locality, as well as with the species or 



111 



65. Cur- 



rant 



ctttting 



(xJi). 



