LAY 



LED 



tarnation layers; laying lhat part in tl:c earth, 

 and raising the top upright, or rather pointing 

 inward?, so as to separate the tongue or the slit 

 from, the other part, and keeping the slit open, as 

 directed bel 



Cutting the Bark. — This i- d by cut- 



ting the bark all round at a joint, taking out 

 small chips all the way below the cut, and 

 ins that part in the earth, by which it readily 

 emits r 



Pier c in g the hover. — This is done bv thrust- 

 ing an awl through the sdioot, at a joint, in se- 

 vcuii places, laying that part in the- ground, bv 

 which it will emit fibres from the wounds more 

 readily. 



If'ireing the Layer. — This is bv twisting a 

 piece of w ire hard rouud the shoot at a joint, 

 and pricking it \\ ith an awl on each side of the 

 wire in several places, laving it in the earth, bv 

 which it breaks out into roots at the confined 

 and wounded parts; often proving successful in 

 such trees and shrubs as do not readily emit 

 fibres bv the other methods. 



Bv some of these methods almost all sorts of 

 trcts and shrubs may be propagated. 



The general method or laving all sorts of trees 

 or plants, either bv simple laying, or anv of the 

 other meihods, is the following. 



The ground about each plant must be duo for 

 the reception of the layers, making excavations 

 in the carih to lay down all the shoots or 

 branches properly situated for the purpose, 

 pegging each down with a hooked stick, laving 

 also all the proper young shoots on each branch 

 or main shoot, fixing each layer from about 

 three or four to six inches deep, according as 

 thev admit, and directlv moulding them in that 

 depth, leaving the tops of every layer out of 

 ground, from about two or three to rive or six 

 inches, according to their length, though some 

 shorten their tops down to an eve or two only 

 above the earth, raising the top of each layer 

 somewhat upright, especially the slit or tongucd 

 layers, to ketp the slit part (pen. As all 

 the layers of each plant or stool arc thus laved, 

 all the mould should be levelled in equally in 

 even' part, close about even- layer, leaving an 

 even smooth surface, with the I each 



layer out. 



It sometimes happens that the brand 1 

 Irees are so inflexible as not to be easily brought 

 down for laying : in which case thev must be 

 plashed, nuking the gash or cut on {he upper 

 side; and when they are grown too large lor 



Clashine, or the nature of the wood will not 

 ear that operation, thev mav be thrown on 

 their sides, by opening the earth about the roots, 

 and loosening or cutting all those on one side, 

 that the plant may be brought to the ground, 



to admit of the branches being laiJ down into 

 the earth. 



W hen layers are to be made from green-house 

 shrubs, or other plants iu pots, the work should 

 generally be performed in pots, either in thtir 

 own, or others placed for that purpt 



After laving in cither of the above methods, 

 there is no particular culture necessarv, except 

 in the heat ot summer giving occasional wa- 

 terings to keep the earth moist about the layers, 

 which will greatly forward them, and promote a 

 good supply ot roots against autumn, when 

 those that are properly rooted should be taken 

 off and transplanted. 



1 he laved branches or shoots should be exa- 

 mined at the proper season, October and Novem- 

 ber, and those that are rooted be cut from the 

 mother plant, with all the root possible, plant- 

 ing them out in nursery rows, a foot or two 

 asunder, according to their natureof growth, there 

 to remain till of due size for their several pur- 

 poses; but those of the tender kinds must be. pot- 

 ted, and placed among others of similar nature 

 and growth. 



W hen the Livers are all cleared from the 

 stools or main plants, the head of each stool, 

 when to be continued for furnishing layers, 

 should be dressed ; cutting off all decayed and 

 _.v parts, digging the ground about them, 

 working some fresh mould in close about their 

 heads, to refresh and encourage their producing 

 a fresh supply of shoots for the following vear's 

 laying down. 

 'LEATHERWOOD. See Dirca. 



LEDON. See Cistus. 



LEDt _\], a genus containing plants of the 

 hardy evergreen kind. The Marsh Cistus, or 

 W ild Rosemary. 



It belongs to the class and order Decandria 

 Monogyma, and ranks in the natural order of 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed penanthium, very small, five-toothed; 

 the corolla one-petalled, flat, five-parted': divi- 

 sions ovate, concave, rounded: Hie stamina have 

 ten filiform filaments, spreading, length of the 

 corolla: anthers oblong: the pislillum is a 

 roundish germ : style filiform, length of the 

 stamens: stigma obtuse : the: periaarpium is a 

 roundish capsule, live-celled, gaping five ways 

 at the base : the seeds numerous, oblong, nar- 

 row, sharp on each >ide, extremely slender. 



The species cultivated is L. pauutn, Marsh 

 Ledum. 



It has a branched root, running widelv and 

 deeply into the ground : the steins are shrubby, 

 slender, three or four feet long, dividing into 

 simple branches, and covered "with a brown 

 bark, which is tomentose or villose whilst thev 



