$32 LAYERS. 



for the maintenance of its life. In this case, the chances of 

 Success are increased by the additional number of buds 

 which are the subject of experiment. That bud which is 

 the nearest the bottom of the cutting emits its roots at once 

 into the earth, and so establishes a communication between 

 the general system of the cutting and the medium from 

 which its food is to be derived. The other buds, by push- 

 ing their stems upwards into light, attract the nutriment ab- 

 sorbed by the roots, and so stimulate the latter to increased 

 action. Ultimately, the roots of all the buds descend be- 

 tween the bark and the wood until they reach the earth, into 

 which they finally pass, like those of the first bud. There 

 is another circumstance which renders the operation of 

 striking plants from cuttings less precarious than from eyes. 

 In both cases, the buds have, at the outset, to feed upon 

 matter in their vicinity, until they shall have formed roots 

 which are capable of absorbing food from the earth ; but in 

 eyes, the nutritive matter can exist only in such portions of 

 the stem as may have been cut away with themselves ; while, 

 on the other hand, in cuttings, the stern itself forms an im- 

 portant reservoir of nutriment. This is a consideration, the 

 practical importance of which will be obvious to every cul- 

 tivator. As it is from the buds alone of cuttings that roots 

 proceed, it follows, that in cases of difficulty, when plants 

 strike .unwillingly, any thing which may facilitate the imme- 

 diate introduction of roots into the soil will be advantageous. 

 It is for this reason that a good operator always takes care, 

 that the lower end of his cutting is pared down as close to 

 the base of a bud as may be practicable without actually de- 

 stroying any part of the bud itself; by this means the first 

 emitted roots, instead of having to find their way downwards 

 between the bark and wood, strike at once into the earth, 

 and become a natural channel by which nutriment is con- 

 veyed into the general system of the cutting. 



LAYERS. 



Laying is nothing but striking from cuttings that are still 

 allowed to maintain their connexion with the mother plant 

 by means of a portion at least of their stem. Where roots 

 are emitted with great readiness, simply bending a branch 

 into the soil, leaving its point above ground, is sufficient to 

 ensure the success of the operation ; but in cases of diffi- 

 culty other expedients are resorted to, all which will still b 



