THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
439 
PROPAGATION OF HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS 
BY CUTTINGS 
W. LAMB 
Perennials, such as Lavendula vera, Dianthus plumarius, 
SantoUna incana, Iheris semperflorens superha and similar 
plants of an evergreen nature, will readily grow from cuttings 
in winter. 
A suitable bench in the greenhouse should be filled with 
clean sand and prepared for cuttings about the first of Decem¬ 
ber. Wood for making cuttings can be taken from the 
plants named above and many others of like nature as 
required almost any time during the winter. 
In case of a snowstorm, straw mats or burlap should be 
covered over the plants, the wood can then be obtained 
quickly free from snow or ice. During severe cold weather, 
the tops can be kept in better condition for making cuttings, 
if covered the same way. 
Cutting wood, especially if frozen, should be given a 
drenching with water as soon as it is brought inside the shed, 
before they are made up. This takes all the frost out of them. 
As the cuttings are made they should be jjut in water 
until ready for planting in the sand. Cuttings do best if 
put in the sand a short time after being made, not more than 
a couple hours. It is not a good policy to let cuttings 
stand in water over night and plant them next morning; plant 
them all the same day they are made up. 
Make the rows one and one-half inches apart and the 
cuttings three-fourths to one inch in the rows. The sand 
should be pressed about the cuttings as firm as possible after 
planting, and then given a thorough watering with the can 
and rose. 
Shade top cuttings with paper or muslin, removing shades 
at night. Shade should be put on a little later each morning 
and taken off earlier each evening until cuttings are strong 
enough to stand without shade. 
Shade should not be used on dull days, except when the 
light is strong enough to make the cuttings droop. 
The sand in the cutting bench should be soaked thor¬ 
oughly with water, allowed to drain for a couple hours and 
then pounded firm and level before any cuttings are planted. 
Careful watering and ventilation will prevent many evils of 
the cutting bench. 
To keep cuttings from drooping, a light sprinkle of water 
on top of the shades is better than directly on the cuttings. 
Water the cuttings when the sand begins to dry and give 
them plenty each time with the can and rose, so it will drain 
through to the bottom of the cutting bench. 
When cuttings of perennials begin to grow at the top, 
usually they have made roots large enough to begin potting 
into two or two and one-half inch pots, the root growth 
should be from one-fourth to one-half inch at the time of 
potting. 
Plants that are strictly herbaceous, whose tops die down 
to the groimd cannot be propagated by cuttings, except from 
young shoots that spring from the base of the plant. ^When 
it is desired to propagate such as Phlox decussata varieties. 
Chrysanthemums , Veronica subsesrilis, etc. The stock plants 
should be dug up and taken inside in early winter. 
The first crop of cuttings will be ready to make up in 
January and others about every two weeks until the old 
plants are entirely used up for cuttings, what is left can be 
thrown on the rubbish heap. The first lot of cuttings will be 
strong little plants in two and one-half inch pots by April ist, 
and all should be large enough for four inch pots by the end of 
May. 
Root cuttings require the least care and are easy to make. 
Usually the roots, or in many cases the imderground stems 
of the plants, are cut in two and one-half to three inch lengths 
and planted in the sand so the tops are about even with the 
surface. After watering, the cuttings should show about one- 
eighth inch above the sand. * 
When making root cuttings, care should be taken to keep 
the tops all one way so they can be put in the bench right end 
up. Root cuttings do not require shading like the top 
cuttings. wSome plants grown this way are Japonica 
and varieties Stokesia cyanea, Papaver orientate. Phlox 
decussata and Anchusa Italica. 
During late spring and summer, the greenhouse beneh or a 
cold frame, covered with glass sash can be used for growing 
cuttings. The glass can be washed with mud and water on 
the inside to afford proper shade. Cuttings may be gathered 
from plants in the open ground, when they have grown large 
enough for this purpose. 
PHILADELPHIA CITY TREES 
The first thorough report ever made upon the condition 
of street shade trees in Philadelphia was presented to the 
Fairmount Park Commission yesterday by the speeial com¬ 
mittee appointed last July to handle the conservation fund 
of $10,000 appropriated by Councils. 
Coupled with the report were the details of an extensive 
plan for the care and planting of street trees which will be 
earned out if Councils set aside a proposed fund of $50,000. 
The report of the committee, of which Dr. J. William White 
is chainnan, shows that fully 50,000 trees are in danger of 
destruction, and that during one month last summer seventy- 
nine dead trees were found on Broad Street alone. 
Experts found almost all the trees in the streets in need of 
pnming and infected with destnictive moths and worms. 
Corrective measures were instituted and are still being carried 
out. It is said the appropriation of $50,000 proposed for 
1913 would enable the commission to go over the entire field 
thoroughly. Space in the Fairmount Park tree nursery 
adequate for the propagation of 20,000 trees has been set 
aside for specimens suitable for street shade and already 
7,000 maples, ash and gingko trees have been planted there 
for this purpose .—'flic Evening Bulletin. 
