ROCK GARDENS

Rock, Marsh, Shrubs in the Garden
Plants 7

Thick sowing means that the seedlings will get drawn up and will be sickly thin sowing secures short, sturdy seedlings. Soil for Cuttings.-Fine silver sand is, perhaps, the best medium in which to strike small cuttings. A light soil through which the air can pass freely is essential to the well-being of all cuttings. That aeration is necessary is proved by the fact that cuttings will strike readily in coconut fiber, a material that is extremely pervious to air and which retains moisture for a considerable period: Powdered charcoal also forms a good medium. Perhaps the free access of air through the excellent drainage in such a position is the reason why cuttings root more freely when placed close to the side of the pot. How to Take the Cutting. Cuttings should be taken of shoots that have ripened or which are beginning to ripen, because in wood which is attaining or has attained maturity the callus so necessary to root formation is more readily induced to show itself. The side shoots of plants, low down on the stem, are the best for cuttings, and should be taken when the sap is in full motion, because its return by the bark tends to form the callus, or ring, of granular matter from which the roots proceed. The leaves of a cutting must never be cut off, except in so far as may be necessary at its base in order that it may be inserted in the soil. The leaves are the lungs of the plant, and if they are cut, the sap that they contain will be lost to the cutting and prevented from passing downwards to form the callus. Cuttings of plants that are difficult to strike may frequently be induced to do so by making a ring round them, or by tying a piece of fine string round them for a short time before they are taken from the parent plant. The downward flow of the sap is arrested by the tightened ligature and a swelling is caused, which forms a callus from which roots are soon emitted. The cutting must be severed from the parent plant just below the ring or band, and the callus formed should be covered when the cutting is inserted in the soil. There are proprietary articles which may be obtained from horticultural suppliers, that are a considerable help in endeavoring to seal the wound and so hasten the growth of the roots in the various dicotyledonous subjects. In taking cuttings, strong sturdy shoots varying from three to twelve inches in length should be removed from the plant, with a very sharp knife, by a clean straight cut just below a joint.

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