PROPAGATION, NATURAL. 396 PROPAGATION, NATURAL. 



seed should not be buried below the earth's 

 surface at a depth greater than its own 

 thickness of diameter, though it may be 

 safely assumed that the depth may be 

 increased with perfect safety in the case of 

 seeds of leguminous plants, which are 

 large and bulky in comparison with the 

 generality of seeds. Thus, the tiny seeds 

 of the auricula should be sprinkled on the 

 surface of the soil in which they are sown, 

 dusted over with a little fine soil and sand 

 sprinkled on them by means of a tin pepper- 

 box, a little moss being laid over them 

 until they have germinated, in order to 

 promote and preserve surface moisture. 

 Larger seeds should be strewn on flattened 

 surfaces prepared to receive them, and 

 sprinkled over with a light covering of soil. 

 Such seeds as onions, carrots, parsnips, 

 &c., should be sown in drills made in the 

 earth with the end or back of the rake, and 

 have the ridge that is thus thrown up 

 drawn over them. Peas and beans may 

 be set at a depth several times their thick- 

 ness or diameter in a shallow trench made 

 for their reception by the end of the blade 

 of the hoe. The smaller the seed, the 

 finer should be the soil in which it is 

 grown. The soil in which seed is sown 

 should be tolerably dry dry enough to 

 crumble lightly when worked with the 

 hand, and not to clot together in a pasty 

 mass. Therefore, dry weather should be 

 chosen for seed sowing, and if seed can be 

 sown just before a gentle shower, or when 

 the weather bids fair to be showery, so 

 much the better. Of course, there is a 

 proper time for sowing for every kind of 

 seed, but this cannot be specified in a 

 series of general instructions which apply 

 equally to all. Place or position that is 

 to say, whether in the open air or under 

 protection also forms an important factor 

 with regard to time. 



2. In Propagation by Germs, Bulbs, or 

 Offsets, all bulblets, whether they proceed 



from the stem of the plant or from the 

 parent bulb, immediately above the part 

 from which the fibrous roots emanate, 

 should be placed in light soil, at a depth 

 equal to their own height below the 

 surface, immediately after removal from 

 the parent plant, otherwise they will dry 

 up under exposure to the air and lose 

 vitality. By some a distinction is drawn 

 between the terms bulbs and offsets, the 

 latter being applied to bulblets thrown off 

 by the main bulb. But this is a nice 

 distinction which is scarcely requisite. All 

 bulblets are of necessity offsets. 



3. In Propagation by Slips, it must be 

 explained that slips are young shoots which 

 spring from the collar or upper portion of 

 the roots of herbaceous plants, as in the 

 auricula or chrysanthemum, or from shrub- 

 like plants, as thyme and sage. In some 

 plants the shoot or slip may be stripped 

 away from the upper part of the stem. 

 When the lower part is sufficiently firm and 

 ripe, the slip is stripped away from the parent 

 plant in such a manner as to bring away a 

 heel or projecting piece of the old wood, 

 whether stem or root. The edges of the 

 heel should then be trimmed with a sharp 

 knife, and inserted in suitable soil, and 

 shaded until it has commenced to send out 

 roots. When slips are taken from the 

 collar, they will often have roots already 

 sent forth, or exhibit the rudiments of 

 roots. These will of course grow more 

 rapidly. Want of success in many cases 

 may be traced to neglect in trimming the 

 heel or base of the slip, as a callus is 

 produced more quickly on a smooth surface 

 than it is on a ragged one. 



4. In Propagation by Divisions of the 

 Plant, the original plant is broken up into 

 pieces, and each piece, which will be found 

 to consist of stem, leaves, and roots, may 

 be planted separately, and will soon form a 

 young and vigorous plant. This mode of 

 propagation is resorted to in the case of all 



