26 



close to its surface, and they will thus grow on with re- 

 newed vigour: when required for removal to other posi- 

 tions, they may he layered into pots of light soil, in 

 doing which, a convenient branch may be brought down, 

 secured firmly at a joint to the soil, and slightly covered 

 therewith, when it will soon become rooted: another 

 plan, is, to suspend in convenient places, pots having 

 large holes beneath ; through these holes, the points of 

 growing shoots are introduced, and the pots having a 

 little moss in the bottom, are then lightly filled with 

 vegetable mould : they may also be propagated, by enve- 

 loping a joint of a growing shoot lightly with moss; the 

 moss should be kept continually moist, and roots will 

 soon be emitted into it, and when enough are produced, 

 the plant may be detached. 



Either of these methods of propagation will secure not 

 only healthy, but fruitful plants, in a short space of time ; 

 and this latter point will be found to be one of no small 

 advantage. The principal objection which may be urged 

 against their adoption, is that they necessarily involve a 

 process of transplantation, which under any circumstan- 

 ces, and however carefully performed, must be regarded 

 as an evil rather than otherwise. It may be thought that 

 the check arising from transplantation may do good, by 

 preventing too great luxuriance of growth, and thereby 

 tending to accelerate fruitfulness ; but even if this result 

 may be apparently produced by such means, it is surely 

 far more natural to check the plants, by withholding a 

 portion of food, rather than by mutilating the organs by 

 which their food is conveyed to them, and then actually 

 placing them in a position where food is still more abun- 

 dantly supplied than before. It is very questionable how- 

 ever, how far what is called a " check" is justifiable as 

 a means of inducing fructification ; for if fructification be 

 the most perfect state at which a plant can arrive, there 

 does not seem to be much rationality in adopting any 



