98 PROPAGATION. 



throw a little sand or sand and leaf mould ; bend down 



your shoot and peg it down with a forked stick so that 

 it is held firmly in place, and when covered witli soil 

 the end of the shoot occupies an almost uprig^ht posi- 

 tion; this causes the tongue cut to press downwards 

 into the soil slightly away from the stem, and very 

 soon, if the pegged-down portion of the tree is kept 

 well watered, roots will form on the tongue, and a 

 tree will be in the making to be severed from the parent 

 stock at the wish of the grower. 



The operation is such a simple one that we are 

 surprised more growers who are anxious to secure 

 trees on their own roots do not_ practise it more often. 

 But the reason is this: Few "trees throw up long 

 enough wood to bend down, and the wood of many 

 trees is too stiff and upright, and if bent back would 

 snap. How, then, can such trees be layered? You 

 can overcome this difficulty by removing soil irom one 

 side of a tree and gently loosening the soil all round ; 

 then, when the tree is in a leaning position, carefully 

 firm all the soil, leaving it lying more or less on its 

 side ; you can then peg down the branches, and in the 

 autumn or spring remove your young trees and prune 

 and straighten up the old. 



Suckers. — There are a few Roses that, growing 

 on their own roots, will throw out suckers which again 

 root. The Scotch Rose (R. Spinosissima) is a good 

 example of this, and it is quite easy in tlie autumn to 

 secure good young trees growing from the parent 

 plant. You will often find that many of the suckers 

 have not taken root, but if severed with a knife in the 

 autumn they will, when planted, easily root and make 

 good trees. In the spring all layers and suckers will 

 be pruned in the usual way according to the variety, 

 and although many will be tender and sparsely rooted, 

 yet the old rule applies, and it is wisest to cut back 

 each tree to the usual number of eyes generally left at 

 pruning time. 



