Propagation 287 



the under side of the arched portion which is buried in the 

 ground, to induce more rapid rooting, by checking in 

 some degree the flow of sap from the parent plant. Layer- 

 ing the tips, like black raspberries, is also said to succeed, 

 though not a common method. 



A writer in the "Gardener's Monthly" for 1885, p. 49, 

 says that the readiest and quickest way to propagate 

 the English gooseberry is by pieces of its own roots. Old 

 bushes are dug up in spring, the roots chopped in pieces 

 three to four inches long, and planted in nursery rows 

 three or four inches deep. He says that they will grow 

 more in one year than a cutting will in two or three. This 

 method is certainly not in common use. Two trials in the 

 greenhouse early in spring, embracing both English and 

 American varieties, resulted in complete failure. 



New varieties must come from seeds, which should be 

 treated as directed for currants. It is not difficult to grow 

 plants by this method. There is likely to be little retro- 

 gression, and in rare cases there may be an advance in 

 valuable qualities. A French article which appeared in 

 the Horticulturist in 1849, translated from the Revue 

 Horticole, states that seedlings withstand the heat of 

 French summers much better than cuttings, and recom- 

 mends propagation by seeds rather than by other methods 

 for that climate. 



Grafting is easily performed, the Missouri currant being 

 the stock oftenest used. According to Robert Man- 

 ning, 1 the best results are obtained by side-grafting under 

 the bark in August, the top being cut down in spring and 

 the snag removed afterward, as with budded trees. Al- 

 1 Trans. Mass. Hort. Soc. 1879: 37. 



