3O Propagation. 



tender trees, they should be kept in damp mould in a cellar, to be 

 planted as soon as the frost disappears from the ground. If not 

 taken off till spring, the operation must be performed as early as 

 possible. In ordinary instances, to prevent drying, about two- 

 thirds or three-quarters of the shoot should be buried 

 beneath the surface ; and the moisture may be still fur- 

 ther retained by a covering of manure, leaves, or moss, 

 or by placing them under the shade of a wall or close 

 fence. When long, like the grape, they should be 

 * placed sloping, so as not to be buried too deep or be- 

 yond the influence of the sun's warmth. Failure often 

 results from a neglecl to press the soil closely about the 

 cutting. 



To procure young plants of the gooseberry and cur- 

 rant with straight, clean stems at the surface, and free 

 from suckers, it is only necessary to remove every bud 

 except a few at the upper end, Fig. 24. The length 

 may be from eight inches to a foot. 

 Fig. 24. There are many plants easily propagated by cuttings, 



C Cur?anl ^ ^ e two g reat requisites of vegetation, namely, mois- 

 ture and warmth, are increased by artificial means, as 

 in a hotbed under glass ; or in a propagating-house, under sash, or 

 bell-glasses, with fire heat gently applied beneath. 



II. LAYERS. 



A layer is a low side-shoot bent down and buried at the middle 

 in the soil, Fig. 25. The buried portion strikes root, when it is 

 taken off and planted separately. Its advantage over a cutting is, 



Fig. 25. Fig. 26. 



Layering. Slitting layers. 



that it is nourished by the parent plant while the roots are forming. 

 Hence many plants which cannot be increased by cuttings, and 



