156 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



autumn or early winter, stored in a cold cellar, cave, or pit outdoors. 

 They will often be calloused by spring if thus treated. The solar pit 

 is a frame arranged so as to utilize the sun's heat in callousing the 

 cuttings. 



Planting Cuttings. (a) The soil should be rich in plant food 

 and sufficiently compact to hold moisture but porous enough to pre- 

 vent baking. (6) Cuttings as a rule should be calloused before plant- 

 ing and be set out before they show roots. It is best to get cuttings 

 into the ground as soon as it is in proper condition in the spring. 

 Do not plant grape cuttings until they are calloused. Currant cut- 

 tings may be set out in early autumn. When thus treated they will 

 often be rooted by winter, (c) Do not have over 1 inch of the cut- 

 ting above ground, just so that the upper bud will come at the sur- 

 face, (d) Set the cuttings at an angle of 45. This is preferred to 

 setting straight, as they remain more firm, (e) In making cuttings, 

 plan to have at least one bud within 1 inch of the top end. (U. S. E. 

 S. B. 178.) 



Layering. A layer is a branch so placed in contact with the 

 earth as to induce it to throw out roots and shoots, thus producing 

 independent plants, the branch meanwhile remaining attached to 

 the parent plant. Layering frequently proves a satisfactory method 

 of multiplying woody plants which do not readily take root from 

 cuttings. 



Tip Layering. The tip of a branch or cane is bent down to the 

 ground and slightly covered with soil, when it will throw out roots 

 and develop a new plant. Many plants can be propagated in tnis 

 way. The black raspberry is a familiar example. 



Vine Layering. A vine is stretched along the ground and 

 buried throughout its entire length in a shallow trench, or it may 

 be covered in certain places, leaving the remaining portions exposed. 

 Roots will be put forth at intervals and branches thrown up. Later 

 the vine may be cut between these, leaving a number of independent 

 plants. The grape can be easily propagated in this way. 



Mound Layering. Plants which stool, sending up a large num- 

 ber of stems or shoots from a single root, are often layered by mound- 

 ing up the earth so as to cover the bases of these stems and cause them 

 to throw out roots. Each may then be removed from the original 

 root and treated as an independent plant. A plant is often cut back 

 to the ground to make it send up a large number of shoots to be lay- 

 ered in this way. 



Grafting. Were all forms of the art of grafting and budding to 

 be taken from the horticulturist today, commercial fruit growing in 

 its high state of perfection would decay with the orchards now 

 standing. 



Importance of Grafting. All the common pomaceous fruits 

 (apples, pears, and quinces), the stone fruits (peaches, plums, cher- 

 ries, and apricots), and the citrus fruits (lemons, limes, and oranges) 

 are now multiplied by grafting or budding. The progress in plant 

 breeding and the great rapidity with which new sorts are now dissemi- 



