PKOPAGATION^. 107 



well rooted, they may be removed in spring or autumn 

 and treated the same as seedlings. Layering is some- 

 times practised in European forests to fill up vacancies, 

 and a similar method is often employed in nurseries. 



GRAFTAGE. 



Graftage refers to the growing of one plant on the stem, 

 root, or branch of another plant. There are several forms 

 of graftage, which are generally known as grafting, budding, 

 and inarching. It is a common practice to use graftage 

 in the growing of the different varieties of fruit-trees, 

 and it is also used to some extent in the growing of some 

 of the varieties of ornamental trees that cannot be grown 

 from seed. Trees that are grown by any form of graftage 

 are seldom as long-lived as those grown on their own 

 roots, and these methods should be avoided when it is 

 practicable to do so. These methods are not much used 

 in common practice and consequently are not discussed at 

 length here. 



Inarching is a rather unusual way of growing plants. 

 It works on the principle that when the growing stems, 

 branches, and roots of the same or closely allied plants 

 are held closely together for some time they become 

 vinited. Such unions of roots are frequently found in 

 woodlands; in some cases the roots of the same trees, 

 and in others the roots of different trees, become grown 

 together. Occasionally trees are found grown together 

 by their branches or stems. Inarching is sometimes 

 used for growing the Cutleaf Birch, in which case the 

 sprouts from a stump of a Cutleaf Birch, or the twigs 

 from a small tree laid on the ground, are tied to small 

 Birch seedlings which have been grown in pots and plunged 

 to their rims in the ground near the tree. In doing this 

 the bark is removed for about two inches at the point 



