164 THE TREE PROPAGATOR AND PLANTER. 



growth for laying ; open the ground and lay the branch 

 in, agitating the bark (or cutting a small tongue) at a 

 joint ; peg the layers down fast, and coyer the part to 

 emit roots with some fine soil. Seedlings ma}- be raised 

 from the pips (see the Pear, p. 150). 



Grafting may be resorted to as a quick means of 

 getting Quince-trees, Graft them on the Pear stock 

 precisely as for Pears. For standard Quinces the 

 stems must be tied to a stake, to prevent them from 

 growing crooked. 



OX THE PROPAGATION AND PLANTING OF 



HERBS. 



The Sage. 



The propagation cf the Sage consists in taking cut- 

 tings of the young wood in May or the beginning of 

 June. Let them be of the firm stout youno- orowth, 

 5 or G inches long, cut clean below a leaflet, and insert 

 them in the ground in a shady border of good soil with 

 a hand-dibber. Sage seed may be sown to raise plants 

 from, but I find such plants are more liable to run to 

 seed than those which are raised from cuttings. The 

 seed may be sown oil a warm border, or in a seed-pan, 

 and transplanted out afterwards. The Sage delights 

 in a shady, damp place ; it requires replanting every 

 two or three years, or it will get barren. 



The Thyme. 



There are several sorts of Thyme, but two only are 

 used for domestic purposes. The upright French 

 Thyme is preferred to all others ; it is very strong and 

 hardy, although it prefers a friable good sandy soil 

 and a dry subsoil. The other is a trailer, or pro- 

 cumbent plant, and is lemon-scented ; useful in some 



