CHAPTER III. 



LAYERAGE. 



MANY plants habitually propagate by means of decum- 

 bent shoots and runners. These shoots become more or 

 less covered with earth or leaves, and roots are emitted, 

 usually at the joints. In many cases, the old shoots die 

 away and an entirely independent plant arises from each 

 mass of roots. In other plants, the shoots remain attached 

 to the parent, at least for a number of years, so that the 

 plant comprises a colony of essentially independent but 

 connected individuals. Great numbers of plants which do 

 not propagate naturally by means of layers are readily 

 increased by this means under the direction of the culti- 

 vator. In most cases it is only necessary to lay down the 

 branches, cover them with earth, and allow them to remain 

 until roots are well formed, when the parts can be severed 

 from the parent. Layering is one of the simplest and 

 commonest methods of propagation, as the mother-plant 

 nurses the layer-plants until they can sustain themselves. 

 It is a ready means of multiplying hard-wooded plants, 

 which do not grow well from cuttings. 



All vines, and all plants which have runners or long and 

 slender shoots which fall to the ground, may be multiplied 

 readily by layerage. Among fruits, the black-cap raspberry 

 and dewberry are familiar examples. The raspberry canes 

 of the current year bend over late in summer and the tips 

 strike the earth. If the tip is secured by a slight covering 

 of earth, or if it finds lodgment in a mellow soil, roots are 

 emitted, and in the fall a strong bud or " crown " or " eye " 



(35) 



