PROPAGATION 17 



DIVISION. 



This is the simplest mode of propagation, for it consists merely in 

 separating an old plant into a number of pieces, each with more or less 

 root attached. It is best done just as growth is recommencing in spring, 

 and if the pieces can be separated with plenty of root attached they may 

 be planted straight away in permanent quarters. Such shrubs as the 

 dwarf spiraeas, Kerria, Berberis Aquifolium, Euonymus radicans, and all 

 with a similar method of renewing themselves by fresh growths from the 

 ground may be treated in this way. Bamboos are increased by division, 

 but in their case it is best deferred until mid-May; even then they are 

 liable to suffer and become unsightly, especially those of a close -growing 

 habit that form hard, matted masses of root which can only be divided 

 by chopping. In the case of valuable plants, or pieces with poor roots, a 

 gentle bottom heat is a very useful aid. The pieces should be potted 

 and the pots plunged in a mildly heated medium, or they may be 

 planted under glass in a shallow layer of soil. Where a large quantity 

 of young plants is desired an old-fashioned hot-bed of manure and leaves 

 covered with a frame is useful. 



LAYERING. 



Shrubs and trees with branches near the ground can almost always 

 be increased by this method. Nature herself frequently adopts it, It 

 consists in burying a portion of a shoot or branchlet without severing it 

 wholly from the tree. The process is as follows : a shoot is brought to 

 the ground and is pegged down to it at a point 6 to 18 ins. from the 

 end. The pegged part should be notched or slit lengthwise so as to 

 partially sever it, and then be covered with sufficient earth to keep it 

 moist. The free end of the shoot can be staked partially upright to keep 

 it fixed. Brittle wood sometimes cannot be cut at the buried part 

 without breaking, but some method of interrupting the flow of sap 

 should be adopted, such as twisting wire tightly round the stem, as it 

 stimulates the production of roots at the point of interruption. The two 

 other most essential things to secure in layering are, a state of permanent 

 moistness at the buried part, and its perfect fixity. Whilst the time at 

 which layering is best done is spring, it may be performed at almost any 

 time, but the incision of the buried part needs more care, or perhaps 

 omitting altogether, if the plants are in full leafage. One summer is 

 usually required for the new root-system to have become sufficiently 

 developed for the layer to be removed. It may require two for some 

 plants, as, for instance, rhododendrons. 



In establishments where little convenience for striking cuttings in heat 

 is available, layering is a very useful and very certain means of increase. 



B 



