b. Cuttings made from the basal and intermediary sections of long shoots show a greater death incidence than do well-hardened, terminal sections. Both types root satisfactorily.
c. Apparently sucker shoots and water sprouts are useless.
Time of taking cuttings:
a. Cuttings taken in late May, with soft growing tips, rooted quickly—some within two weeks. On the other hand, their foliage darkened quickly, and death followed. Short, lateral shoots, well-hardened, were not available in May.
b. As the season progressed, the percentage of rooted cuttings with healthy foliage apparently rose, at least through July, but roots were formed more slowly by the late season cuttings.
Condition of parent tree:
Apparently tree vigor as indicated by healthy, dark green foliage, is more important than vigor as indicated by the length of current season's growth. In Morgantown this has been one of the driest seasons on record. Cuttings from trees with pale or brown foliage, or with foliage tending to be brittle from lack of water soon lost their leaves. Whether this was caused by the condition of the parent tree or of the individual cutting is not apparent. It is too early to determine whether or not the drought will cause a general lowering of rooting percentages this year.
Root formation:
Cuttings may or may not callus. Roots seldom if ever spring from the extreme base of a cutting. Well above the base the stem enlarges, turns white, cracks, and sends out roots. Often the bottom inch of the cutting is black and dead, with a healthy and vigorous root system above the blackened portion.
Plant bands and pots: