CHAP. III. LAYERS. 81 



covered with a pane of glass. This is a practice that has long 

 been employed in England in raising plants of the Orange tribe, 

 and has proved equally successful with Camellias and Hoses. 



DIVISION. 



There are many shrubs and perennials, such for instance as 

 the Chrysanthemum, which increase by throwing up numerous 

 rooted stems from the ground. Plants of this, habit are pro- 

 pagated easily to almost any extent by what is called " division." 

 This consists in taking them out of the ground and pulling the 

 stems asunder, each one bringing with it a portion of the roots. 

 These stems planted out soon establish themselves as separate 

 plants. Indeed with plants of this habit the process should be 

 often adopted, whether needed for propagation or not, as the 

 habit itself indicates an effort of nature in the plant to move 

 away to fresh soil from that which it has already exhausted. 



LAYERS. 



Propagation by layering, though generally speaking a slower 

 process than by cuttings, is a much surer one, for there are few 

 plants which, when in a thriving condition, cannot be multiplied 

 by this method. It is obvious, moreover, that larger and more 

 advanced plants may be obtained by layers than by cuttings. 



The operation is as follows : select a branch of ripened wood 

 of the plant to be layered, that will bear being bent down to 

 the earth without breaking. Cut the branch half through with 

 a sharp knife just under one of the leaf-buds towards its 

 extremity and then pass the knife upwards, so as to slit the 

 branch about an inch or two up. The slit-piece, with the leaf- 

 bud at its extremity, called the " tongue," should be kept open 

 by inserting a small piece of tile. Remove the earth to the 

 depth of two or three inches from, or place a flower-pot over, the 

 spot just where the tongue falls on the branch being bent 

 down ; then carefully bend the tongued part of the branch into 

 the earth, or into the flower-pot ; secure it in that position by a 

 peg, and cover it over with earth, which should be pressed 

 clown and watered. It is recommended to head down the 

 branch when layered; but this is not always done. If the 

 layer is put down in the month of February or March, it is 



G 



