The Story-Book of the Fields 



the whole of the portion that is to be buried is 

 slightly scraped, while the part that is to 

 remain in the open air is left intact. Thus the 

 outer skin of the bark, which has been 

 softened by the water, has been removed, and 

 the obstacle which would hinder the issue of 

 the roots has been weakened, while the inner 

 layers, which are the region of the plant's life 

 work, are left. The small wounds that result 

 from the scraping, by arresting the sap, pro- 

 mote the production of roots. When thus 

 prepared the cuttings are placed in the ground. 

 Vertical holes are made with a long wooden or 

 iron dibble in very light ground, so that the 

 young roots may enter it without difficulty, 

 and a cutting is placed in each of these holes 

 at a deptli ol half a yard. Fine earth, well 

 heaped up, so that it may be equally in con- 

 tact with the cutting on all sides, completes 

 the filling up of the hole. 



When the plant offers resistance to layering, 

 the production of adventitious roots is pro- 

 moted by means of the excrescence formed 

 by the descending sap, either above a wire or 

 above the place where a ring of bark has been 

 removed. The same device may be used for 

 cuttings. A wire is fastened tightly round 

 the branch which is to be used as a cutting in 



182 



