PROPAGATION OF PLANTS. 103 



without any danger of it snapping off. There is another 

 advantage in this way of layering. It is often necessary, 

 in the stereotyped way, to place a chip or something be- 

 tween the tongue to keep it open. By this, the twisting 

 of the tongue aside keeps it always separate from the old 

 cut. Again, by this mode, very green shoots can be oper- 

 ated on, magnolias, for instance, in June, and plants be 

 got well rooted by fall, instead of waiting for the wood to 

 ripen in August, when we have to wait for another year 



Fig. 41. LAYERING. 



before our layer is sufficiently rooted to take from its 

 parent. Another method of forming the tongue is to 

 make the cut upon the side, as in figure 41. 



Instead of forming a tongue to make a shoot throw out 

 roots, the branch may be split in the centre for two inch- 

 es, more or less according to its size, and the parts sepa- 

 rated with a bit of wood. Roots will be thrown out 

 along the edges of the split. The returning sap may also 

 be arrested by ringing; in which case a ring of bark is 

 removed from the branch for the purpose, or by a wire 

 twisted tightly around it pinching the bark. 



When the roots are thrown out naturally wherever 

 a joint touches the earth, as in the verbena, the branches 

 only require pegging down to make them form new plants. 



