THE GARDEN PRIMER 



and must, under some circumstances, be watched very 

 closely. 



They may be made from both ripened and green 

 wood, and they may be taken from the root, stem or 

 leaf of a plant. They are designated accordingly as 

 hard or ripe, and green; and as root, stem, or leaf cut- 

 tings. Green cuttings are made from the soft wood — 

 the succulent and tender, most recent growth — or from 

 the hardened growing wood — the growth that is hard 

 but is not yet fully ripened or turned into actual wood 

 fibre. Ripe cuttings are made from the fully matured 

 and ripened wood. 



The best authorities agree that hard wood or ripe 

 cuttings will practically always root, though it takes 

 longer and they are not always the finest plants when 

 they do *'take hold" and grow. Cuttings of green or 

 soft wood are a doubtful undertaking, and are liable to 

 die before they have had time to root — therefore they 

 are Hkely to prove very discouraging to the beginner. 



The practical value of cuttings lies in the oppor- 

 tunity which they offer of turning one currant bush into 

 a dozen in a single season, or making twenty grape vines 

 grow where one grew before, with absolutely no outlay. 

 Ornamental shrubs and perennials, too, may of course 

 be multiplied in this way, though the latter are usually 

 increased in a simpler way by division of the roots every 

 two or three years. 



Cuttings of hard wood may be taken any time when 

 the plant is dormant; it is usual to prepare them after 

 the leaves fall in the autumn and let them lie through 



