ON PLANT PROPAGATION. 



957 



is used a thin layer of silver-sand should be spread on the top, 

 and a small portion of room left under the edges of the pots or 

 pans for water when required. 



It is rather difficult to say to what depth cuttings must be 

 inserted, but it can be taken as a rule that the operated notches 

 or buds must be inserted at a depth sufficient to keep the plant 

 in an upright position. The illustration 

 of a Verbena cutting (Fig. 621) shows 

 what is required. Another difficult question 

 to ahswer is, to what distance apart must 

 cuttings be placed ? In this case all 

 depends on the nature of the cuttings as to 

 size and room. Such cuttings as Fuchsias 

 and Chrysanthemums may be inserted lin. 

 apart, while some others, such as Cyano- 

 phyllums, which possess ample leaves, 

 could not be inserted so closely. It is 

 advisable not to crowd them ; a certain 

 amount of air must be allowed to circu- yig 621 —Soft-wooded 

 late between the cuttings, or with the Cutting— Verbena. 

 required saturation the rot will soon 



appear, and also what is generally called "damping off," a disease 

 due to a specific fungus. 



Another important point is the length of the cuttings. This 

 depends on various circumstances ; chiefly on the nature of the 

 plant, and also on the number of cuttings required from it. The 

 majority of soft-\vooded cuttings do not exceed 3in., and they 

 can without inconvenience be cut much shorter ; but for ample- 

 foliaged plants the above length cannot be taken as a rule. 

 Fiais e/astica, for instance, roots quite freely when propa- 

 gated by terminal cuttings, varying, according .to the health 

 of the growth, from 4in. to Sin. Several Melastomacece {e.g., 

 Cyanophyllums) may also be mentioned. It is exactly the same 

 with the hard-wooded section, many examples of which could 

 be given. Eye-cuttings, as employed in the propagation of grape- 

 vines, do not exceed 4in., and cuttings of several of our out- 

 door fruit-trees vary exceedingly. 



When to Take Cuttings. — Cuttings may be taken all the year 

 round, according to the nature of the plants and to the conditions 

 under which they are kept. Many of our soft-wooded plants 

 which are required during the summer months are propagated 

 in the winter, but it may be taken as a rule that cuttings strike 

 better in the spring than at any other time. If soft-wooded 

 plants are required in the spring they must be propagated in the 

 autumn. Deciduous plants are chiefly propagated about the end 

 of the summer, enabling them to make their roots before the 

 frost. Hard-wooded ones strike successfully in the autumn, and 

 begin to grow with the early spring. The time of propagation 



