The Story-Book of the Fields 



our thought can provide for the life of 

 future generations, our mission will have been 

 worthily fulfilled. 



It was not by chance that the ideas of 

 layering, taking cuttings and grafting oc- 

 curred to man, but by thoughtful observa- 

 tion of natural processes going on around him. 

 He who first noticed attentively the way in 

 which the strawberry plant grows and multi- 

 plies, received the first lesson in layering. 

 We will consider this curious growth for 

 ourselves. Certain long thin branches start 

 from the parent plant of the strawberry and 

 crawl along the ground. These are called 

 runners. When they have reached a certain 

 distance the extremity develops into a small 

 plant, which takes root in the ground and soon 

 becomes independent. The new strawberry 

 plant, as soon as it is strong enough, sends 

 out long branches which follow the same 

 course — crawling over the ground, ending in 

 a bunch of leaves and taking root. After a 

 number of such growths the parent plant 

 will be surrounded by young offshoots, settled 

 in different places, according to the season 

 and the nature of the ground. At first these 

 offshoots are connected with the parent plant 

 by the runners. There is a common life as 



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