THE NURSERY-BOOK. 



plants are wanted, but in many species the operation is com- 

 pleted in a single season. Quinces and Paradise apple stocks 

 are extensively mound-layered. The practice is most useful in 

 those low plants which produce short and rather stiff shoots. 



As a rule, the best season for making layers is in spring when 

 the leaves are forming. Rooting progresses rapidly at that 

 season. Many plants "bleed" if layered earlier in the season. 

 Hardy shrubs may be layered in the fall, either early or late, and 

 if an incision is made, a callus will have formed by spring. If 

 rapid multiplication is desired, the soft and growing shoots may 

 be layered during the summer. This operation is variously 

 known as "summer," "herbaceous," "green" and "soft" lay- 

 ering. Comparatively feeble plants usually result from this 

 practice, and it is not in common favor. 



Pot layering, circumposition, air layering and Chinese layering 

 are terms applied to the rooting of rigid stems by means of sur- 

 rounding them, while in their natural position, by earth or 



moss, or similar mate- 

 rial. The stem is 

 wounded common 1 y 

 girdled and a divided 

 pot or box is placed 

 about it and filled with 

 earth (Fig. 22). The 

 roots start from above 

 the girdle, and when 

 they have filled the 

 pot the stem is severed, 

 headed back, and 

 planted. Pot layering 

 is practiced almost ex- 

 clusively in green- 

 houses, where it is 

 possible t o keep the 

 earth uniformly moist. 

 But even there it is advisable to wrap the pot in moss to check 

 evaporation from ..he soil. Some plants can be readily rooted by 



Fig. 22. Potlayerage. 



