The Story-Book of the Fields 



roots sooner or later appear in this moist 

 medium. When these are suitably deve- 

 loped a gradual weaning begins ; a slight cut 

 is made below the pot and deepened from day 

 to day. The object of this is gradually to 

 accustom the layer to do without the parent 

 stem and to find its own living. At last the 

 separation is complete. This gradual wean- 

 ing is also advantageous for layers that are 

 buried in the ground and ensures the success 

 of the operation. 



If the wood is tender the adventitious roots 

 start easily from the buried portion, and the 

 method that has been described will ensure 

 the success of the layering. But close woods 

 are less ready to take root and might remain 

 for a considerable time in the earth without 

 doing so. In that case art must intervene, 

 based on the plant's mode of life. We will 

 recall the effect of a tight ligature on a stem. 

 The descending sap collects above this line, 

 as it can no longer continue its course between 

 the wood and the bark confined by the string. 

 It accumulates and forms an excrescence, into 

 which the plant pours the excess of the 

 arrested matter. If this is buried in moist 

 ground adventitious roots will soon appear 

 and facilitate the downward course of the sap. 



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