PROPAGATION, NATURAL. 395 PROPAGATION, NATURAL. 



that are being struck in it. These propa- 

 gating frames were introduced by Mr. 

 Looker, and are manufactured by all the 

 leading makers of coarse earthenware, and 

 notably by Messrs. F. Rosher and Co., 

 Upper Ground Street, Blackfriars, S.E. 

 Seed pans, measuring 9 inches by 6 inches 

 by 3 inches, or in other words, 9 inches 

 long, 6 inches wide, and 3 inches deep, 

 are supplied by Mr. Tippetts, Aston, Bir- 

 mingham, at 55. per dozen. These frames 

 and pans can only be regarded as pots 

 with a glass covering. No heat can be 

 applied, unless the pan or frame, as the 

 case may be, is plunged in a hotbed. 



Propagation, Natural. 



Speaking broadly and generally, natural 

 propagation is effected by the development ! 

 of a bud which proceeds from some portion 

 of the plant, either root or stem, as the 

 case may be, that is below the surface of 

 the ground, or from the stem proceeding 

 from it at a point just above the surface. 

 No matter what may be the mode of pro- 

 pagation that Nature selects, the offset, 

 when ultimately separated from the parent 

 plant, assumes a separate existence, and 

 becomes an independent plant similar in 

 every respect to that from which it sprang. 

 Thus, the suckers thrown up from the root 

 of a rose or any shrub that throws up 

 shoots of this kind from below ground, 

 when detached, with a portion of the root, 

 will speedily form new and strong plants. 

 The rhizome of the primrose, polyanthus, 

 &c., may be removed from the parent 

 plant, and will soon send forth roots under 

 favourable circumstances, if it be not 

 already rooted before removal ; and when 

 the new plant springing from the stole of 

 the strawberry is once attached to the 

 soil by roots of its own, the connecting 

 link between parent and offspring may be 

 cut away, rendering the latter dependent 

 on itself for obtaining a supply of nourish 



ment through its own roots. Every plant 

 is provided by Nature with a suitable 

 means of reproduction, whether by seed, 

 or sucker, or stole, or rhizome. 



Propagation by natural methods, or 

 methods that are adopted by, or are in 

 accordance with, Nature, are six in number, 

 namely (i) by seed; (2) by germs or 

 bulbs, or, in a more comprehensive term, 

 by offsets; (3) by slips; (4) by division of 

 the plant ; (5) by runners ; and (6) by 

 suckers ; and under each method a special 

 mode of treatment is not only desirable 

 but necessary, thus : 



i. In Propagation by Seed, it is requisite 

 to use seed the vitality of which is un- 

 impaired. Under certain circumstances 

 the vitality of seed will endure for 

 thousands of years, as is apparent from 

 the so-called " Mummy Wheat," which 

 was grown from a grain of wheat found in 

 the swathings of a mummy of the body of 

 an Egyptian that had been embalmed and 

 shrouded in its cerements for burial per- 

 haps four or five thousand years ago, or 

 even longer. When placed in the soil this 

 wheat corn germinated and reproduced 

 itself in great abundance. The mainten- 

 ance of vitality was due in this case to the 

 exclusion of the external air and moisture. 

 Generally speaking, seeds retain vitality 

 for one or two years only under ordinary 

 circumstances, and from this we gather 

 that 



(a) It is better to sow seed saved during 

 the previous season, or, at the utmost, not 

 more than two seasons old ; and 



(b) If it be desired to preserve the 

 vitality of seed for a longer period than 

 two years, it is necessary to keep it in air- 

 tight receptacles, or, at least, to exclude 

 air from the receptacles in which they may 

 be kept as far as it is possible to do so. 



In addition to age, due regard must be 

 had to soil, season, and other circumstances. 

 As a general rule, it may be laid down that 



