The Garden Under Glass

PROPAGATION UNDER GLASS 209 a hole should be made with a dibber whose end is quite as blunt as, and larger than, the base of the cutting and the surrounding soil should be made so firm that a gentle pull by the leaf will not uplift the cutting. The base of the cutting should touch the bottom of the hole. After in-sertion some means should be taken to prevent the cutting from flagging, such as shading it from sunshine or covering with a handlight to shield from draughts. Striking Cuttings Collectively It is sometimes a practice to grow three plants of a variety in the same pot. Often they are grown singly in 3-inch pots and afterwards clumped together and repotted in a larger size. A better way than this (since it involves no check) is to insert three cuttings in the one hole at the time of propagation. Salvias, Chrysanthemums, eupa-toriums, coleuses, panicum and many similar free-rooting subjects are amenable to this treatment. Big plants are thus formed which to the average observer would appear to emanate from but one plant. Leaf Cuttings Some plants admit of ready propagation by the leaf, and where their habit of growth precludes the taking of cuttings, or the desire of having these plants true to form and colour does away with the idea of raising them from seeds, this method is taken advantage of. The gloxinia is easily grown from this humble beginning, as well as the populär begonia, Gloire de Lorraine. The leaf is detached with a portion of the leaf stalk, and a clean cut is made. If this be cut obliquely it is thought that roots are thrown out more quickly. Inserted in leaf-soil and sand in a warm o