The Story -Book of the Fields 



method, and will also give the quickest return. 

 Near the space to be filled a plant is selected 

 with a vigorous, long and conveniently 

 situated shoot. The ground occupied by the 

 dead stock is thoroughly dug over and the 

 whole plant with its roots is removed, as the 

 rotting of these might be injurious to the 

 new-comer. When the ground has been dug 

 over a trench is arranged about a foot in 

 depth and the branch is deposited in it, care 

 being taken to bend it without breaking or 

 splitting. The buried portion is covered with 

 a layer of earth and the trench is filled up with 

 manure. The end of the branch is drawn up 

 out of the ground, fastened to a post as a 

 support, and cut back till it only retains two 

 shoots. All the shoots on the portion between 

 the parent stock and the point where the 

 branch enters the ground are removed, since 

 they would divert some of the sap. The best 

 time for practising this operation is the 

 beginning of winter, because the lengthy 

 stay of the branch underground while all 

 plant life is at rest, allows it to grow 

 more vigorously when the sap returns in 

 the spring. 



What will be the fate of the branch partially 

 buried in this way ? If it had remained in 



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