158 THE NURSERY. [FEB. 



PROPAGATING BY CUTTINGS, ETC. 



Plant cuttings of gooseberries and currants according to the rules 

 laid down in next month and in October ; these will form tolerable 

 branchy heads by the end of summer, and will produce fruit in a year 

 or two after. 



Be careful to train these trees always with a single stem, six or 

 eight to ten or twelve inches high before you form the head. 



Plant also cuttings of honeysuckles, and other Tiardy flowering 

 shrubs and trees; as many different sorts may be propagated by that 

 method. 



The cuttings must be shoots of the former year's growth : choose 

 such as have strength, cutting them from the respective trees and 

 shrubs in proper lengths ; or long shoots may be divided into two or 

 more cuttings, which should not be shorter than eight inches, nor 

 much longer than twelve. Plant them in rows two feet asunder, at 

 six or eight inches distance in the row, putting each cutting two-thirds 

 of its length into the earth. 



Most kinds which are thus planted now, will be well rooted by 

 next October. 



PROPAGATING BY SUCKERS. 



Many kinds of trees and shrubby plants furnish abundance of 

 suckers from the roots for propagation, particularly robinias, roses, 

 lilacs, syringas, and many other hardy kinds : the suckers may now 

 be separated from the parent plants, each with some roots, and planted 

 either in nursery-rows for a year or two, or the largest, at once, where 

 they are to remain. 



PROPAGATING BY LAYERS. 



The latter end of this month, you may make layers of all such 

 shrubs and trees as are increased by that method, though the best 

 time to do this is between the first of October and end of November, 

 but where it was omitted at that period it may now be done, and most 

 kinds will still succeed. 



In making layers of any kinds of trees or shrubs, observe to dig 

 round the plant that is to be layed, and as you go on, bring down the 

 shoots or branches regularly, and lay them along in the earth, with 

 their tops above ground, fastening them securely there with hooked 

 pegs, and then let all the young shoots on each branch be neatly 

 layed, and cover them five or six inches deep with earth, leaving the 

 top of each three or four to five or six inches out of the ground. 



It may be of advantage in laying some of the more hard-wooded 

 kinds, to gash or sKt the layers an inch or better by an upward cut 

 on the under side, as intimated in the Nursery, page 70. 



Most kinds of layers which are now layed, will be tolerably well 

 rooted and fit to be transplanted by next autumn, some not till the 

 second year ; but for general instructions, see the Nursery in October. 



