Har. II PROPAGATION OF HARDY BAMBOOS 13 
our own gardeners not have the profit which now goes 
abroad ? 
The hardy Bamboos may be propagated in any one of 
four ways :— 
1. By seed. 
2. By division. 
3. By cuttings of the base of the culm, with or without 
the rhizome attached. 
4, By cuttings of rhizomes. 
A fifth process, propagation by layering, is available in 
the case of the autumn-growing or tender Bamboos, but it is 
impossible in the case cf the whole family of Triglossze to 
which our hardy Bamboos belong. It may be well before 
going any further, in order to save beginners from the 
disappointment of a vain attempt, to explain the reason of 
this impossibility. The two or three knots at the base of the 
stem, which are close together and barren of branches, 
contain in a potential state the bud from which a new culm 
springs upward and the roots shoot downwards. The upper 
knots contain no such buds; they carry only their two or 
more branches which are absolutely barren and unproductive. 
As it is, of course, the upper part of the stem which would 
be bent down to the ground for layering, it follows that the 
effort must be abortive. Endless experiments conducted by 
Messrs. Riviére in Algiers have resulted only in proving the 
futility of the attempt. It is not uncommon to see a new 
culm shoot out of a branchless knot of the base of a mature 
stem. Great care must be taken not to brush against or 
interfere with this young growth. The roots do not develop 
downward until after it has ripened, and the attachment is 
