DECIDUOUS TREES PROM CUTTINGS. 



55 



or that which is older. But with some other kinds, like 

 the JSTegundo maple, and the buttonwood, the cuttings 

 should be made up in the fall, and from wood of the cur- 

 rent season's growth, cut into sections of from ten to 

 fifteen inches in length, and then heeled-in in some warm, 

 moist place, either in a cellar or in the open ground where 

 they will not freeze, and at the same time be kept sufficient- 

 ly cool to preyent growth. In spring these cuttings may 

 be taken out and planted in trenches made with a plow or 

 spade, and deep enough to admit of covering the cuttings 

 nearly their entire length, and the soil should be pressed 

 firmly about them, after which they should receive the 

 same care as seedlings, in a similar soil and climate. 



In making cuttings it is best to cut just below a bud, 

 and square across the wood, for the base of the cutting, 

 but the upper end may be sloping, although it will make 

 little difference, except with those kinds which have a 

 large pith, or those that do not produce roots very freely. 

 The object in making up the cuttings some months before 

 planting, is to give time for a callus to form on the ex- 

 posed wood, a process that always precedes the emission 

 of roots from cuttings. It is really aiming at the pro- 

 duction of roots in advance of the pushing of the buds 

 into growth, and while we may not always accomplish 

 this, we can at least secure a callus, which is a step gained 

 in the right direction. All such cuttings produce roots 

 more freely in a moist soil than in a dry one, and in dry 

 climates it is a good plan to cover the entire surface of 

 the cutting bed with some kind of mulch, in order to keep 

 the ground moist and cool during the summer months. 

 The cuttings, when rooted, should be treated the same as 

 trees raised from seed. 



PROPAGATION^ BY LAYERING. 



Layers are really nothing m-ore than a form of cutting, 

 the only difference being that they are allowed to adhere 



