DRA CJENA S — PRO PA GA TING. 



327 



lished varieties are increased by cuttings of side-shoots, stems, and roots. Tops taken 

 off old stems will emit roots in a briskly heated close frame, but are apt to lose the best 

 portion of their leaves. The better plan is to treat these tops similarly to Crotons, see 

 page 315. Some growers prefer to follow the method shown at a, Fig. 148. In this 

 instance, after tongueing the firm stem where it is desirous roots shall form, it is 

 encircled by a small pot, carefully split in halves, and made to enclose a little fine 

 loam, peat, and sand. This has to be kept uniformly moist, and when well occupied 

 with roots, the heads are cut from the stem close under the pots, and soon afterwards 

 the plants are moved into others 5 inches in diameter. After the stems have been 

 topped they push side-growths from the upper- 

 most joints. These, when as large as shown at c, 

 are cut off with a heel, inserted in a 2-inch 

 pot, and plunged in a propagating frame to pro- 

 duce roots. Other growths will push in turn 

 from the stem b for similar treatment. In this 

 way a good stock of neat plants can be raised 



If a number of young plants all of one size 

 are desired, the stems d may be cut up into short 

 lengths each with two joints (/ Fig. 149), and 

 inserted in sandy peat soil round the sides of a 

 pot g, with an inverted pot, i, in it as shown. 

 Only the top of the cutting should show above the 

 soil, taking care to fix the thickest end down- 

 wards. If the pots are plunged in brisk, moist * ^ cuttings rooting; *, sou -, i, inverted pot 



and drainage ; j, stem and plantlets (see text). 



heat, and the soil never allowed to become dry, 



every cutting will produce roots and leaf growth as shown, the plants being then 

 ready for placing separately in small pots. When raised in large numbers a quicker 

 plan is adopted. Instead of cutting up the stems, they are laid their full length, /, 

 about 2 inches apart, and covered an inch deep in a warm, moist bed of cocoa-nut 

 fibre refuse in the close frame of a propagating house. In a short time young 

 plants appear in hundreds or thousands, as if they were being raised from seeds, 

 producing roots at the base of the leaves, and are then potted separately, as above 

 advised. 



Plants are also raised from fleshy " roots" (e, Fig. 148), cut into short lengths as 



