Propagation of Plants 97 
branch may be severed from the parent plant and reset. 
This is the usual way that Wistaria is increased; also the 
honeysuckle and many other plants which I enumerate later. 
Sometimes a branch cannot be bent down, and then the 
method used is different. A flower-pot or similar receptacle 
is cut in two lengthwise; the branch is run through the hole 
in the bottom and the two halves of the pot are then tied 
firmly together and filled with earth. The incision in the 
stem should come well below the surface of the earth in the 
pot, and the latter held securely in place by building a tem- 
porary support for it to rest on. This is a more difficult 
method, though frequently used by nurserymen. The clean 
cut partial incision in the stem promotes the formation of roots 
at that point, and the root formation may also be facilitated 
by scraping the bark lightly where the roots are to form. 
Another method of propagation is by cuttings, which may 
be taken from the ripe old wood, the half ripened wood or 
new green shoots according to the plant. They are set in 
sand or sandy loam so as to cover two or three eyes or buds, 
allowing from two to six inches of the wood above ground; 
they are usually covered with a tumbler or glass jar for a 
season to prevent their becoming dry. If kept too moist 
they are inclined to rot; but if allowed to become dry, the 
delicate rootlets are killed at once. Cuttings should have 
little or no sun, for a time; and various devices have been 
worked out to promote their rooting well. One of the most 
practical suggestions is to take a box, and cut the sides so as 
to form a slanting top on which is fitted a glass frame. The 
box is filled with sand mixed with a little rich loam and the 
cuttings set with but one or two eyes above the earth. The 
glass cover retains the moisture, and may be lifted a little 
each day to admit air. Bottom heat, which may be derived 
from manure under the sandy soil, will facilitate growth if the 
