74 THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



the new plant. "Arching," or very abrupt bending, as in 

 serpentine layering, serves the same purpose and is the only 

 attention necessary in most vines. A "tongued" carnation 

 layer is shown in Fig. 63. The layered stem is at S, and the 

 root is seen to have formed from the tongue. This method of 

 propagating carnations is common in Europe, but the plant is 

 always grown from cuttings in America. 



When large numbers of plants are desired, as in commercial 

 nurseries, it is often necessary to cut back the parent plant to 



the ground, or very nearly so, for 

 the purpose of securing many 

 shoots fit for layering. A plant 

 cut back in the spring will pro- 

 duce shoots fit for layering the 

 following spring; or some species 

 produce them in abundance the 

 FIG. 64. Mound-layering of same year if layers of green or 

 gooseberry. immature wood are desired. These 



parent or stock plants are called stools by nurserymen. 



In many species, layerage is performed to best advantage 

 by heaping earth over the stool and around the shoots. This 

 is known as mound- or stool-layering. The shoots send out 

 roots near the base, and straight stocky plants are obtained. 

 The English gooseberries are propagated almost exclusively 

 in this way in this country. Fig. 64 shows a row of mound- 

 layered gooseberries. The shoots are allowed to remain in 

 layerage two years, in the case of English gooseberries, if the 

 best plants are wanted, but in many species the operation is 

 completed in a single season. Quinces and Paradise apple 

 stocks are extensively mound-layered. The practice is most 

 useful in low plants that produce short and rather stiff shoots. 

 Sometimes these layers are severed at the end of the first season, 

 and the plants are grown in the nursery row for a year before 

 they are placed on the market. 



