164 



THE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



May 27, 1911. 



FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES. 



ADDITIONAL METHODS OF VEGETATIVE 

 PLANT PROPAGATION. 



Tlte Seedling- inarch and Nurse-plant Metliuds of Propa- 

 gation is the title of a Bulletin (No. 202) that has just been 

 issued by thu Bureau of Plant Industry of the Ignited States 

 Department of Agriculture. It describes methods that are 

 stated to be inexpen.sive, and of such simplicity that they can 

 be employed by persons who do not already pos.sess a knowl- 

 edge of [ilant propagation. The claim is made that their 

 adoption will bring about the saving of much time in deter- 

 mining the value of varieties of plants about which little is 

 known. They are also said to be useful in crossing experi- 

 ments; as plants propagated by their aid produce flowers much 

 sooner than if they were growing on their own roots alone. 

 It appears, however, that the most remarkable feature of the 

 methods described is the certainty with which satisfactory 

 unions of stocks and scions may be obtained, even in the case 

 of plants which have not so far shown themselves to be 

 capable of being propagated by grafting or budding. 



Reference is made to the delay of the cultivation of the 

 man^o on a large scale, that has arisen from the want of 

 inexpensive and neat methods of propagation, and there is 

 also mention of the .somewhat similar experience with cacao. In 

 the latter connexion, the Bulletin adverts to Pamphlet Xo. 61 

 of the Department Series, entitled The Grafting of Cacao, 

 by J. Jones, Curator of the Botanic Station, Dominica, in 

 which a method is described by which cacao i)lants may be 

 propagated by inai clung, at the comparatively low price of 

 Zd. each, and draws attention to the fact that, where old 

 mango trees are in existence, there is no reason why this 

 plant should noc be propagated almost as cheaply. The 

 bulletin goes on to dei5cribe new methods for the vegetative 

 propagation of about half a dozen plants. Of these the mango 

 \Man(jifera imlica), the mangostocn (Garcinia Mangostana), 

 and the litchi {Nepheliuni Litchi.) will be dealt with here, as 

 being of more particular interest. 



1'R0PAG.\TI0N OF THE MAXGO BY INAUCniNC. Whcn the 



seedlings have attained a diameter of about |-inch, they are 

 taken from the pots, together with the ball of soil around 

 the roots. The part of the soil, generally near the top, where 

 there are no roots, is removed, and the ball is covered with 

 old cocoa-nut fibre, decomposed staple manure or something 

 similarly useful. A piece of thick cloth .sacking about 10 

 inches square is then spread out and covered with some of the 

 cocoa-nut fibre or other material, the ball of earth is placed 



on the sacking, which is then wrapped round it, soil being 

 packed in where required while this is being done; finally the 

 sacking is secured firmly with a piece of string. In this way 

 the seedling and the soil are obtained in the form of a handy 

 package weighing about 1 lb., which can be tied anywhere in 

 a tree or supported on stakes stuck in the soil: there is no 

 need for the erection of a staging. The directions for inarch- 

 ing are given in the following paragrai)h, taken from the 

 Bulletin. 



First select the branchlet to be inarched, taking care 

 that the diameter of the stem is not greater than that of the 

 seedling stock. It should be fairly well ripened and have 

 several healthy leaves JIake a cut in the stem, beginning 

 at a point 2 to 3 inches from the terminal bud; in takin" 

 a slice from the stem, cut into the wood not more than one- 

 third of its diameter. The slice removed may be about 2 

 inches in length; any leaves which hinder this operation 

 should first be cut off. ^lake a cut of similar length and 

 depth near the base of the stem of the seedling. Jirincr the 

 stock and scion neatly together, the bark meeting on both 

 sides if [lossible, and tie firmly with a piece of soft string or 

 strand of raffia. After this is done it only remains to secure 

 the ball of the seedling to the lower part of the branch; or if 

 the inarched branch is a short one, the ball may be tied to 

 the older wood. It will often happen that the seedling will 

 need no further support; but when necessaiy a cane slake for 

 further tying may be utilized, or a strong cord may be fast- 

 ened to a stout stake driven into the soil in a convenient 

 position and the inarched .seedlings attached to it. Many little 

 devices of like nature will suggest themselves to suit the 

 peculiarities of each mother tree on which it is desired to 

 make inarches. 



The sulisequent attention required by the plant is very 

 careful watering of the seedling .stocks until they have united 

 with the branches. When union has commenced, the stock 

 is cut half way through immediately above the union and on 

 the opposite side; the branch should then be cut one third of 

 the way through, immediately below the union; the branch 

 and the top of the seedling are finally cut through when it 

 has been ascertained that complete union has taken place. 



rilOl'AUATION OK THE .MANGOSTEBX liY IN A ItCllINc. For 



this plant, the method just described for the mango is 

 reversed. It has been found that the most promising 

 species of Garcinia to be used as stocks for the mangosteen 

 are G. tinctoria, (i. Morella (Ceylon gamboge) and G. Lirin^i- 

 xlonei; of related plants of different genera, Platonia insiijnis 



