228 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



extent, and on being dug up will almost shake to pieces. 

 Many sorts of bulbs and tubers separate into perfect bulbs 

 ond tubers for other plants ; with many tuberous and fibrous 

 roots there are numerous complete plants, but adhering to the 

 roots or tubers by trifling pieces, which only require to be 

 parted with the knife, or perhaps pulled apart by the hand. 

 All these rooted side-shoots, and bulbs, and tubers, which 

 have increased of themselves, and only require separating, are 

 called offsets ; but there are other plants whose roots spread, 

 or whose tubers increase in size, without the least effort to 

 separate ; and it is in such cases that we, by the knife, separate 

 the increased size of the roots, or pieces that contain eyes or 

 crowns, which form separate plants on being grown after this 

 separation. 



We have already said that time will separate most of these ; 

 but we cannot, in the work of propagation, wait for time. In 

 seven years a plant may spread, and the part which attaches 

 the outside shoots to the main plant might separate of itseK, 

 In fact, we have seen, by the process of time, all the interior of 

 a spreading herbaceous plant decayed, and a ring of several 

 spreading plants stretching its way outwards, and when the 

 mass was taken up it would naturally separate into several 

 pieces, but each piece might contain a dozen crowns or hearts 

 of plants, and with a sharp knife each might be separated 

 with a piece of root attached to it, and so form the new plant. 

 But when the object is to propagate the plant rapidly, this 

 separation should take place every season, as soon as the plant 

 is at rest. Polyanthuses, primroses, phloxes, paeonies, rhubarb, 

 many kinds of iris, perennial lupines, hollyhocks, &c., should 

 be parted as soon as the leaves begin to decay, by digging up 

 the plants, shaking all the soil from the roots, and then with 

 a sharp knife cutting through the fleshy parts of the root, so 

 as to keep a piece of the root to every crown ; and these should 

 be unmediately planted in nursery beds, to grow into strength 

 for planting out, or they may at once be placed where they 

 are to remain. But as some will occasionally die off" instead 

 of growing, it is better to make plantations of plants a year 

 old from planting ; or if the permanent place must be occu- 

 pied at once, we must separate into several small pieces, but 

 leave two or three crowns to each piece of tuber or root. In 

 resjDect to bulbs and tubers, such as crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, 

 shallots, and such like, or anemones and ranunculuses, they 



