LAY 



LED 



carnation layers; laying ihat part in the earth, 

 and raising the top upright, or rather pointing 

 inwards, so as to separate the tongue of the slit 

 from the other part, and keeping the slit open, as 

 directed below. 



Cutting the Bcirk.— This is perfomied byciit- 

 Una the bark all round at a joint, taking out 

 small chips all the way below the eut, and lav- 

 ing that part in the earth, by which it readily 

 emits roots. 



Piercing the Layer. — This is done by thrust- 

 ins; an awl through the shoot, at a joint, in se- 

 veral places, laying that part in the ground, by 

 which It will emit fibres from the wounds more 



readily. . . 



IVireing the Layer. — ^Tbis is by twistmg a 

 piece of wire hard round the shoot at a joint, 

 and pricking it w ith an awl on each side of the 

 wire in several places, laying it in the earth, by 

 which it breaks out into roots at the confined 

 and wounded parts ; often proving successful in 

 such trees and shrubs as do not readily emit 

 fibres by the other methods. 



By some of these methods almost all sorts of 

 trees and shrubs may be propagated. 



The general method of laying all sorts of trees 

 or plants, either by simple laying, or any of the 

 other methods, is the following. 



The ground about each plant must be dug for 

 the reception of the layers, making excavations 

 in the earth to lay down all the shoots or 

 branches properly situated for the purpose, 

 pegging each down with a hooked stick, laying 

 also^all the proper young shoots on each branch 

 or main shoot, fixing each layer from about 

 three or four to six inches deep, according as 

 they admit, and directly mouldmg them in that 

 depth, leaving the tops of every layer out of 

 {ground, from about two or three to five or six 

 mehes, according to their length, though some 

 shorten their tops down to an eye or t'>vo only 

 above the earth, raising the top of each layer 

 somewhat upright, especially the slit or tongued 

 layers, to keep the slit part open. As all 

 the layers of each plant or stool are thus laved, 

 all the mould should be levelled in equalU' in 

 every part, close about every layer, leavhig an 

 even smooth surface, with the top of each 

 layer out. 



'It sometimes happens that the branches of 

 trees are so inflexible as not to be easily brought 

 down for laying ; in which case they must be 

 plashed, making the gash or cut on the upper 

 side ; and when they are grown too large for 

 plashing, or the nature of the wood will not 

 bear that operation, they may be thrown on 

 their sides, by opening the earth about the roots, 

 and loosening or cutting all those on one side, 

 that the plant may be brought to the ground. 



to admit of the branches being laid dowa into 

 the earth. 



When layers are to be made from green-house 

 shrubs, or other plants in pots, the work should 

 generally be performed in pots, either in their 

 own, or others placed for that purpose. 



After laying in either of the above methods, 

 there is no particular culture necessary, except 

 in the heat of summer giving occasional wa- 

 terings to keep the earth moist about the layers, 

 which will greatly forward them, and promote a 

 good supply of roots against autumn, when 

 those that are properly rooted should be taken 

 off and transplanted. 



The layed branches or shoots should be exa- 

 mined at the properseason, October and Novem- 

 ber, and those that are rooted be eut from the 

 mother plant, with all the root possible, plant- 

 ing them out in nursery rows, a foot or two 

 asunder, according to their nature of growth, there 

 to remain till of due size for their several pur- 

 poses; but those of the tender kinds must be pot- 

 ted, and placed among others of similar nature 

 and growth. 



When the layers are all cleared from the 

 stools or main plants, the head of each stool, 

 when to be continued for furnishing layers, 

 should be dressed ; cutting off all decayed and 

 scraggy parts, digging the ground about them, 

 working some fresh mould in close about their 

 heads, to refresh and encourage their producing 

 a fresh supply of shoots for the following year's 

 laying down. 



LEATHERWOOD. See Dirca. 

 LEDON. See Cistus. 

 LEDUM, a genus containing plants of the 

 hardy evergreen kind. The Marsh Cistus, or 

 Wild Rosemary. 



It belongs to the class and order Decandria 

 JMonogijnia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Bieornes. 



The characters are: that the ealvx is a one- 

 leafed perianthium, very small, five-toothed ; 

 the corolla one-petalled, flat, five-parted : divi- 

 sions ovate, concave, rounded: the staminahave 

 ten filiform filaments, spreading, length of the 

 corolla : anthers oblong : the pistillum is a 

 roundish germ : stvle filiform, length of the 

 stamens: stigma obtuse : the periearpium is a 

 roundish capsule, five-celled, gaping five ways 

 at the base : the seeds numerous, obiong, nar- 

 row, sharp on each side, extremely slender. 



The species cultivated is L. paluslre, Marsh 

 Ledum. 



It has a branched root, running widely and 

 deeply into the ground : the stems are shrubby, 

 slender, three or four feet long, dividing into 

 simple branches, and covered with a brown 

 bark, which is tomentose or villose whilst they 



