THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



Plants like currants or gooseberries may be propagated by 

 mound layers without bending down the branches. Shoots are 

 first wounded near the ground by scraping the bark. They 

 are then covered with soil to a depth of six or eight inches. 

 Roots form in or above the wounds, and this newly rooted 

 portion may be transplanted and thus become a new plant. 



The common house rubber plant is 

 propagated by pot layering, or by wound- 

 ing a branch severely and binding a 

 mass of soil or florist's packing moss 

 (sphagnum) over the wound, and keeping 



FIG. 21. Cuttings of geraniums 



Such cuttings soon take root if planted in 

 moist sand 



FIG. 22. A rooted leaf cut- 

 ting of rex begonia 



The leafstalk has been buried 

 in moist sand, where it took root 



the soil or moss moist by frequent watering. Roots form in 

 about six weeks. When the new plant is rooted, it may be cut 

 off and planted. 



Plants like strawberries (Fig. 20) form special shoots called 

 runners, which creep along the ground and take root usually 

 at the joints, or nodes. A new plant grows from each rooted 

 portion. This plant may be removed when it is large enough 

 for transplanting. 



