61 



f IG. 1 0. Propagdion by Layers, — liayer- 



ing is performed by bending 

 some of the stocks down, and con- 

 fining them by a Uttle hooked' 

 %?^% or a stick drove into the 

 '^'^ groimd obliquely. Cover the 



stock two or three inches deep with good rich earth. 

 Some nurserymen cut little notches or tongues on the 

 under side of the twigs bent ; others twist the limb 

 so as to cause the bark and wood to crack. Mulch 

 them thoroughly, and when the roots have taken hold, 

 the layer should be separated from the stock. 



SucJcers. — When it is desirable to retain a seedling 

 fruit upon its own stock, suckers may he used. They 

 do not make good stocks to graft or bud upon, as the j 

 are liable to produce a large amount of suckers. — 

 Raspberries and Blackberries are propagated in this 

 way. 



Stocks for Grafting.'— ^'"li is generally best to raise 

 stocks of all kinds of fruit trees, from seeds. In the 

 cultivation of the apple, the pear, and also of the 

 plum and the cherry, 5'?/c^^--stocks should be carefully 

 avoided, unless no others can be procured." 



Apple Seedling StocJcs may be raised by planting 

 pomace, in autumn, as soon as it can be obtained from 

 the cider-mill. It should be before fermentation takes 

 place. That from young trees is preferred. Sow in 

 drills four feet apart and cover one inch deep. Keep 

 the plants clear of weeds during the next summer. — ■ 

 If the soil is sufficiently rich, the plants will be large 

 enough the second or third spring, to remove to the 

 nursery row. Their tap roots should be shortened, 

 and, the stocks planted one foot apart, with four feet 

 between the rows. If they are thrift};^ and make a 

 good growth, they may be budded the following au- 

 tumn. AU small seedlings should be thrown away.— 

 The soil in the nursery should be deep and rich. 



*Tear stocks ma^j be raised from seed, precisely in the mode 



