173 



a rule more certain of success. Layering is described as fol- 

 lows by Firminger : " 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 ex- 

 tremity, 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 down and 

 watered.* " A callus is developed from the cut surface of the 

 tongue from which roots arise just as in the case of cuttings, but 

 the layer differs from a cutting in that it receives supplies of 

 water and salts in solution through the wood of the unsevered 

 portion of the branch. So soon as the layer has developed 

 its own roots and thus become independent of this source of 

 supply, it may be completely severed from the parent plant. 

 The operation may be hastened by making a half-ring wound 

 on the unsevered half of the branch down to the wood. The 

 food materials descending from the leaves of the layer which 

 would have passed down .to the parent plant along this half 

 of the branch are thus intercepted and are also devoted to the 

 production of callus and new roots. 



The operation known as guti consists in completely ring- 

 ing a branch down to the wood, the latter being carefully 

 scraped to insure the removal of all the cambium and cortical 

 tissues. The wound is then covered with a lump of adhesive 

 earth or moss which is maintained in position by a bandage 

 and kept moist. Here the passage of the water current along 

 the young wood of the branch is not interrupted and the 

 leaves are enabled to manufacture food materials vigorously ; 

 these materials passing down the sieve tubes in the cortex are 

 intercepted in their course at the upper edge of the ring 

 where they are devoted to the production of a callus and new 

 roots. So soon as the latter are well developed, the branch 

 may be completely severed from the parent and an indepen- 

 dent plant is produced. Ficus elastica is frequently propagat- 

 ed in this way. 



* A Ms.mial of Gardening for Bengal and Upper India by Thomas A. 

 Fumkvger, 3rd edition, 1874, page 81. 



