farmers' miscellany. 



309 



With a sharp knife make an 

 incision half way tlirough the 

 branch to be layered, at or just 

 below the bud or joint. Then, 

 turning the edge of the knife 

 upwards, towards the top, split 

 it through the bud a short dis- 

 tance j say half an inch or 

 more. At this point then, it 

 is to be buried under the ground, 

 the end being placed as nearly 

 as possible upright, so as to 

 keep the split open. They 

 must be fastened down with 

 ; hooked stick, to prevent their being disturbed before they have 

 ken root. After this has taken place, they should be care- 

 illy separated from the old plant, and in a few days removed 

 their places. 



Another mode is to take out 

 a notch just below ^a bud, as 

 deep as the centre of the 

 branch, which is then to be 

 treated as above. Where a 

 viole branch is layered, if the notch is made at each bud, a num- 

 rmber of plants may be obtained. 



Ringing, or taking off a 

 small ring of the bark, quite 

 around it, and down to the 

 wood, is another method . This 

 must be done also just below 

 a bud or joint. The Chinese 

 grow a great many dwarf fruit 

 ties in this way. They select the fruit bearing branches, and 

 riging them, bind on the ring a ball of rich earth, which is kept 

 distantly wet by water dropping from a vessel placed above. 

 1 ey become rooted in a few weeks, when they are removed to 

 p s. The orange and lemon may be propagated in this way with 

 SI cess ; or the branch may be thrust through a hole in the bottom 



