8o GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS. 



or other shrub growing in the open ground who has not 

 other ways of propagation at command, when this plan 

 may be safely adopted. 



Although layering may be done with the ripened wood 

 of vines or shrubs of the growth of the previous season, 

 yet it is preferable to use the shoot of the present year 

 in its half green state; for example, a Rose or flower- 

 ing shrub is pruned in the usual way in spring; by 

 June or July it will have made strong shoots one, two, 

 or three feet in length from or near the base of the 

 plant. Take the shoot then in the left hand, (after 

 having stripped it of its leaves for a few inches on each 

 side of where it is to be cut,) keep the fingers under the 

 shoot, and make a clean cut on the upper part ', an inch or 

 so in length, and to about half the thickness of the shoot, 

 then slightly twist the " tongue " or cut part to one side. 

 Having opened a shallow trench, fasten the branch 

 down with a hooked peg, and cover with earth. It is a 

 good plan to place a flat stone over the layer to prevent 

 the soil from drying out. 



This plan of cutting the shoot on the upper side I 

 have never seen in illustrations showing the manner of 

 layering, it being usually either on the side or under; 

 but I have found in practice that it is much the safest 

 plan, as the " tongue," when cut on the top part of the 

 shoot, has far less chance to be broken off. 



PROPAGATION BY LAYERING IN POTS. 



This is the process of layering shoots or runners of 

 plants in pots, so that, when the root forms in the pot, 

 the plant can be detached without injury to it, as the 

 roots are confined exclusively to the soil in the pot. Lay- 

 ering plants in pots can be done with Roses, vines, or 



