A majority of the plants which succeed in the latitude of Florida when planted in the open, bear seeds which will germinate and produce healthy seedlings, and in general raising plants by such means is the quickest and best way to propagate. Young seedlings need some sun and the boxes in which they are grown should be turned around occasionally to keep them from being drawn. It is best when they have three or four leaves to transplant them into separate pots, or tin cans having a hole punched in the bottom will do. From pots they can be turned out without greatly disturbing the ball of earth around their roots. If in a can, it should be struck against some hard object several times to loosen the contents.

One is likely to receive the seeds of tropical plants at any time during the winter and such seeds, as a rule, should be planted at once. But if while they are in the ground a norther of several days' duration occurs or an extended cold spell such as we sometimes have anywhere in Florida, these seeds are very sure to rot, unless one can keep them in a warm place. In planting palm seeds, if one can spare pots long enough it is an excellent idea to put a single seed in each pot and set them thickly in sand or earth on the benches. This is for the reason that the palms form long, hard and brittle tap roots and if planted in open earth they are difficult to transplant.

Another Florida Plant House.

Another Florida Plant House.

This design requires less space than the preceding one, and is quite sufficient for those who are working only with potted plants. Some sort of a plant house is almost a necessity, if one is to enjoy the full possibilities of Florida for the propagation of tender plants. (Fig. 6)

I like to grow plants to a considerable size before putting them out in the open ground. Plants in from four- to six-inch pots are much better fitted to withstand the hardships of their first year in the open ground than those from smaller sizes. A large number of the plants which we grow in this region may be propagated from cuttings and this is especially true of the herbaceous and soft wooded kinds. Shrubs and trees having very hard wood rarely root from cuttings with us. I have the best success with the woody forms by taking not quite ripened shoots and cutting them into lengths from eight inches to a foot long. These I set in the ground, often in a sloping position, to within a couple of inches of their tops. Then I firm the earth around them and drench them with water. They should be kept warm and moist but not too wet. If one could have bottom heat for the tenderer kinds it would be a great advantage. Cuttings of most tropical things must be rooted (unless one has a warm place) in the growing season. Those of hardy plants can be rooted in winter. They may go in a slat house or even a well-sheltered spot out of doors. Great care should be exercised in lifting out rooted cuttings not to break off the delicate roots. If a number are rooted in a pot the ball of earth can be carefully turned out and the soil washed from the roots. I prefer to let cuttings of wooded plants stand until their roots have hardened a little before transplanting them.

Cuttings taken from plants growing in pots or boxes root much more readily than those from plants which are growing in the open ground. Cuttings of Oleanders, rose and zonale Geraniums are often troubled with a blight, probably some sort of a fungus, and either will not root or die soon after doing so. I know no remedy for this but it might be a good idea to dip the cuttings in Bordeaux mixture or sprinkle them with sulfur before putting them in to root. Oleanders and some other hardy shrubs may be rooted in winter by taking large cuttings, a half inch to an inch in diameter, defoliating them and planting them to within a couple of inches of their tops in damp ground.

Layering may be successfully practiced with many things which have branches near the ground, or as is sometimes done, with small limbs at some distance above the ground by making a stage on which to set a pot or box filled with soil. It is better to cut a slit in the branch, holding it open with a bit of wood. Make an excavation in the earth and bury the cut part a few inches in it, fastening the limb down if necessary with a small wooden fork. If the ground becomes dry it is well to water it.

Some things, including most of the Ficus, are best propagated by air layering. Prepare a small limb on the tree in the same way as for ground layering, wrap it well with sphagnum, tying it on thoroughly. This should be done during the rainy season; if it gets dry water should be applied. In a few weeks roots will form and penetrate the moss and the layer can be cut off and planted.

The process of inarching is rarely resorted to in the propagation of ornamentals and the same is true with budding and grafting in Florida. Full instructions for these operations can be found in any good work on gardening. Some of the palms send up suckers from or near the ground and these often send out roots but it is sometimes difficult to make them grow when they are cut off. If one will make an incision at the base of a sucker, set a pot or box of earth under it, digging out below if necessary, he can catch these roots and when the plant is established cut off the connection with the parent. In this way not only palm suckers but a variety of others, even limbs of trees, may be made into fine plants.

The entire process of propagation and all that is connected with it are among the most delightful experiences of the plant lover and gardener. What joy can be sweeter than actually to witness the creation of living organisms, - to see the plumules pushing their way up through the earth? What is there more delightful than to feel that these dear little things are your very own, that, in partnership with nature, you have helped to bring them into existence? Only a true lover of plants can ever feel the pleasure of digging up a cutting he has planted and finding at its base a heavy white callus, or the delicate, young, soft roots pushing out. He realizes that in his hand he holds the possibility, perhaps, of a noble and beautiful tree which may live through generations, to cheer and bless mankind long after he has passed away.