88 
Rustic A dornments. 
layer of soil passed through a one-sixteenth of an inch mesh sieve. Fill the 
pots thus to the rims, then press the soil down firmly with the bottom of 
another pot or a “ presser,” so that the level of the soil is about a quarter of 
an inch from the rim. Sprinkle some silver sand on the surface, water 
with a fine-rosed can, and shortly after insert the cuttings. Remember, 
the chief points are to use clean pots or pans, provide ample drainage, 
cover the potsherds with moss or fibre to prevent the soil washing 
into them, and to press the soil firm. 
The cuttings should be inserted by means of a 
dibber (Fig. 27). Make the hole for each cutting as 
deep as it is to be inserted, and no more. When 
inserting the cuttings, see that their base touches 
the bottom of the hole, and then press the soil 
firmly round them. Always commence to insert 
the cuttings near the edge of the pot or pan first , 
and finish off into the centre. After insertion, give 
Fig. 24. 
the soil and cuttings a good watering, and remove them to the pro¬ 
pagators, where they should be plunged to the rim in cocoa-nut fibre 
refuse. If a propagator is not available, put the pots inside a larger pot, 
as shown at Fig. 15, or in a box, as illustrated by Fig. 16. Failing these 
conveniences, cover the pot or pan with a bell-glass, as shown at Fig. 25, and 
place it in a window or greenhouse. Whilst in the propagator, attend to 
shading from sun by placing sheets of paper over the glass by day. Every 
morning, tilt the light for fifteen minutes to dissipate foul air, then close again. 
Remove dead or dying leaves, and early every morning, and late in the after- 
