124 SMALL FRUIT CULTUiUST. 



In figure 49 is shown what may be called a well-rooted 

 plant, produced from the tip of one of the canes. When 

 these young plants are taken up, a foot or more of the 

 cane may be left on them for convenience in handling, but 

 when planted again this should be cut off close to the 

 roots, and but the one bud (A.) allowed to grow. 



Occasionally more than one plant will be produced upon 

 a single cane, because after the extreme end of the main 

 cane has taken root, one or more of the buds immediately 

 above it will push into growth, and being but a few inches 

 off the ground they soon reach it and become rooted, as 

 shown in figure 50. Sometimes the roots will become so 

 interlaced that they are separated with difficulty, although 

 in the engraving they are shown with very few roots. 



If a foot or more of the cane is covered with soil, late 

 in the summer, when the wood has become somewhat 

 firm, roots will be emitted from every portion of it, and 

 when taken up it may be separated, and each bud become 

 a plant. The plants obtained in this manner are not gen- 

 erally as good as those produced from the extreme tip of 

 the canes. It will very often be necessary to go over the 

 plantation and cover the tips of the" canes to insure their 

 producing roots. If the plants are grown where the wind 

 is constantly moving the canes about, their tips will not 

 root, because they do not remain long enough in one place 

 to allow the roots to penetrate the soil. All that is neces- 

 sary is to throw a small quantity of soil on to the extreme 

 end of each cane. A garden trowel is a good implement 

 for this purpose, putting on just soil enough to keep the 

 end of the cane steady in one place, and no more. 



The time of performing this operation will vary in dif- 

 ferent locations and soils. In the latitude of New York 

 City, the last of August to the middle of September is 

 the usual time of covering or layering the canes. But 

 care should be observed in not covering too early, as well 

 as deferring it until too late. 



