4l6 Plant Multiplication. [Sess. 



as a great multitude, into the world of waters. The lump-fish, 

 according to Yarrell, makes a very speedy escape from the egg ; 

 and that authority further states that the young after birth fix 

 themselves to the sides and hack of their male parent, who 

 launches forth, thus loaded, into deeper and safer retreats. 



lY.— PLANT MULTIPLICATION. 



By Mr MARK KING. 



{Rmcl Jan. i2S, 1S91.) 



There are two ways in which plants may be multiplied or 

 propagated — (1) the artificial and (2) the natural method. 

 In the first, a portion of the mother-plant containing a leaf- 

 bud is placed under conditions suitable to make it develop 

 into an individual in every respect resembling the parent 

 plant. These detached parts have various names, such as 

 cutting, graft, bud, or layer ; while a modification of grafting 

 is known as inarching. A cutting, when properly selected, 

 and placed under such favourable circumstances, emits roots ; 

 in this way a plant may be multiplied to any extent corres- 

 ponding to the number of parts suitable for division. The 

 art of grafting is of great antiquity, but by whom it was 

 invented is not known. It is mentioned by Pliny, Virgil, 

 and other ancient authors. The Chinese are adepts at this 

 contrivance : its introduction among them is ascribed to 

 Eoman Catholic missionaries. In our own country the monks 

 for ages were the only gardeners, and among the many de- 

 partments of the gardener's skill, grafting in its various modes 

 was successfully practised by them. I now exhibit several 

 examples of these methods of plant multiplication, for which 

 I am indebted to Mr James Grieve, of Messrs Dicksons & Co. 

 In budding, the manner of performing the operation varies, 

 but the mode generally chosen is by making a T-shaped slit 

 in the bark and inserting the bud underneath. The operation 

 can only be performed successfully when the sap is in full 



