68 PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY DIVISION 



3. Division of Roots. Take groups of tuberoses, asparagus, golden glow 

 or any other convenient plant in the garden which has a supply of buds near 

 the crown. Divide the clump into separate plants, and plant them separately. 



4. Types of Bulbs. Compare bulbs of different kinds and determine 

 which ones are more scaly than others, and which ones you would call firm or 

 solid bulbs. In any one variety, as tulips or hyacinths, select those bulbs which 

 would produce the best growth. What are the points you see in this selection? 



5. Purpose of Plant Runners. Examine the runners of strawberry, trail- 

 ing buttercup, Bermuda grass and others that are propagated naturally by 

 runners. From what points are the roots sent into the soil? At what points 

 do the new shoots start up? What plants seem to be largest those near 

 the parent plant or those farther away? Why is there a difference? 



6. Layering. Make tip layers of raspberry plants, and vine layers of 

 grape vines. 



7. Cuttings. Make cuttings of various woody shrubs found in the yard 

 or along the roadside. Determine what trees will grow from cuttings if taken 

 at the proper size. Use also cuttings of grape, English ivy, geranium, begonia, 

 and others. 



8. The Practice of Budding. Students should practice budding. The 

 operation may be learned by practicing on willows or other twigs which have 

 stood in water in a warm room for a few days. This loosens the bark and makes 

 the operation more like the real conditions found in the peach orchard in Sep- 

 tember. Buds of any kind may be used for practice, but at the right season 

 the buds of good varieties of peaches should be inserted on stalks of seedling 

 peaches. Use the method called shield budding in this work. 



9. Practice the cleft graft on twigs brought into the laboratory. Then 

 let the work be done with some good scions of apple trees grafted on the limbs 

 of trees out of doors. 



10. Learn to make the tongue or whip graft, and secure a supply of seed- 

 ling apple roots from a nearby nursery. The expense of securing these may 

 be covered by the sale of the grafts made from them. Cut off the tops of these 

 young seedlings and graft on to the old scions from good varieties of apples 

 which may be secured in the vicinity. Store the products in moist sawdust 

 or sand in cool cellars until about corn-planting time. These should then be 

 set in rows in the garden at proper distances for cultivation. Set the grafts 

 so that only one bud projects above the ground. 



QUESTIONS 



1. Give examples of propagation by means of roots. 



2. What are the technical differences between the root and stem? 



3. Describe the division of crowns and give examples. 



4. How are root stalks used in the multiplication of plants? 



5. Describe the different kinds of tubers and bulbs. 



6. What plants have runners? Tell how runners multiply the plants. 



7. Describe the multiplication of black raspberries through tip layering 



8. Describe vine layering. 



9. Explain how mound layering is done, and how it increases the number of 



plants. 



10. Give examples of plants multiplied by green or soft-wood cuttings. 



11. Mention several plants propagated by hard- wood cuttings. 



12. Describe the budding by shield-bud method. Apply this to the peach. 

 13! Why is top-working with buds better than top grafting? Apply this to 



the apple. 



14. Describe and illustrate the whip or tongue graft. 



15. What special pruning should follow after top-working of an apple tree? 

 References. U. S. Farmers' Bulletins: 157, The Propagation of Plants. 



471, Grape Propagation, Pruning and Training. 



