lette. b, Fig., represents the mouth- 

 piece to keep the jaws open ; it is 

 fixed between the teeth, and kept in 

 its place by the strap. The probang 

 is introduced through the hole in the 

 wooden centre-piece, or gag. In c 

 the stilette has a corkscrew end, 

 which can be made fast in substan- 

 ces which obstruct the gullet, and 

 will enable the farmer to pull them 

 upward. 



PROBE. A wire of silver, with a 

 blunt or sharp point, used to ascer- 

 tain the depth of wounds, sinuses, &c. 



PROBOSCIS. A trunk, or nasal 

 projection. 



PROCESS. In descriptions, a tu- 

 mour or eminence on a bone or part. 

 A projection. 



PROCUMBENT. Laying on the 

 ground. 



PROGXOSIS. A conclusion re- 

 specting the termination of a disease. 



PROL.\PST;s. a failing out or 

 protrusion of any part of the body ; 

 as of the intestines, womb. 



PROLEGS. The imperfect legs 

 of caterpillars. 



PROMUSCIS. The suctional or- 

 gan of the hemiptera. 



PROPAGATION. Seeds are the 

 most general means of propagation, 

 but they do not perpetuate many im- 

 proved varieties, especially of fruits ; 

 buds do, however. Buds are propa- 

 gated by budding, grafting, setting 

 slips, cuttings, layers, offshoots, suck- 

 ers, and in some plants, as the straw- 

 berry, by natural runners. The bulb 

 is a peculiar bud, which also propa- 

 gates varieties by offsets. Tubers, 

 or rhizomes, are underground stems, 



642 



as in the potato, dahlia, flag, and they 

 propagate the varieties also. " Cut- 

 tings are portions of shoots, either of 

 ligneous or herbaceous plants ; and 

 they are made of the young shoots 

 with the leaves on, or of the ripened 

 wood either with or without its 

 leaves ; and after they have, either 

 in an herbaceous state with the 

 leaves on, or with the wood mature, 

 and with or without the leaves, been 

 properly prepared and planted, they 

 form roots at their lower extremity, 

 each cutting becoming a perfect plant. 

 In general, cuttings should be taken 

 from those shoots of a plant which are 

 nearest the soil ; because, from the 

 moisture and shade there, such shoots 

 are more predisposed to emit roots 

 than those on the upper part of the 

 plant. The young, or last-formed 

 shoots, are to be taken in preference 

 to such as are older, as containing 

 more perfect buds in an undeveloped 

 state, and a bark more easily perme- 

 able by roots ; and the cutting is to be 

 prepared by cutting its lower extrem- 

 ity across at a joint, the lenticells, or 

 root-buds, being there most abundant. 

 When the cutting is planted, the prin- 

 cipal part of the art consists in ma- 

 king it quite firm at the lower extrem- 

 ity, so as completely to exclude the air 

 from the wounded section. Cuttings 

 emit roots at this section, either in 

 consequence of the action of the ac- 

 cumulated sap in the cutting, as in 

 the case of the ripened wood in de- 

 ciduous trees and shrubs ; or in con- 

 sequence of the joint action of the 

 accumulated sap and of the leaves, 

 as in the case of cuttings of soft wood 



