GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 181 



length of bark should be greater below the bud than above. The top 

 part should be cut off transversely one-third of an inch above the bud 

 and double that distance below. After the ,bud has been placed in posi- 

 tion, tie moderately firm with raflia, examining it from time to time to 

 prevent the raffia from cutting into the bark. Budding is usually per- 

 formed during the latter part of Summer. 



Layering — This operation is on the same priuciple as that of mossing 

 Rubber plants and Crotons, that is, producing roots on the branches 

 while yet attached to the parent plant. It is exceedingly simple when 

 done correctly, but some of the little details left out, or performed the 

 wrong way, will render the operation unsuccessful. An expert, with 

 shrubs amenable to this method of increase, will seldom lose a layer. 

 Briefly stated, the operation consists of bending a branch low enough 

 so that after it has been notched, tongued or ringed, as the case may 

 be, the part so treated should be several inches beneath the surface of 

 the soil, so as to throw out roots, while being at the same time supplied 

 with nourishment from the parent plant. It is a convenient method of 

 rooting large pieces of a bush, and should be practiced where small 

 quantities of certain things are desired, especially those which are diffi- 

 cult to increase by other methods of propagation. In layering it is 

 necessary to select branches near the ground, so that they can be bent 

 down without breaking. To perform the operation by tongueing, with 

 a sharp knife make an incision in the lower part of the branch at the 

 place where it is desired to have the roots. The incision should vary in 

 length and depth with the thickness of the branch; it should never be 

 deeper than half the thickness of the wood, and should be made toward 

 the end of the branch so that the tongue will eventually form the base 

 of the stem after being separated from the parent plant. The layer, 

 while undergoing the process of rooting, should be held in place with a 

 peg, which must be strong enough to last several months in the ground. 

 With few exceptions shrubs and vines are layered during Summer while 

 the plants are in active growth. In layering, it should be kept in mind 

 that the soil surrounding the part from which roots are desired should 

 never be allowed to get dust dry; to prevent this a little sphagnum 

 moss should be placed around the cut part, in cases where the rooting 

 is a slow process; and a layer of moss, or other material, on the surface 

 of the soil will prevent a too rapid evaporation of moisture. But, in 

 any case, copious waterings during dry weather will be found beneficial. 

 In the treatment of vines, such plants as Glycine sinensis and Pueraria 

 Thunbergiana can be layered the entire length of the previous season's 

 growth, thus giving a plant at every joint. The period at which the 

 layer may be severed from the parent must be governed by the quantity 

 of roots made. Better to keep it on the plant than to sever too early. 

 After a season has elapsed the majority will have rooted, if attention 

 has been given; but it will not hurt to let them stay for a longer period 

 attached to the old plant. For furnishing suitable wood for layers, old 

 plants are sometimes cut down quite close ^to the ground, in order to 

 produce a quantity of young growth. Plants so treated are termed 

 "stools." Some of the plants which layer easily are Rhododendrons, 

 Enkianthus, Gordonias, MagnoUas, especially the Asiatic species and 



