150 THE NATURE STUDY COURSE. 



bearing branches, the silver-poplar buds from its roots and 

 squirrel-corn and lilies have other peculiar ways of increasing 

 their numbers underground. Refer to any well-known plant 

 of a type and ask for observations of other plants employing 

 similar means of multiplication. 



Artificial Separation. — Leaving the field for observation we 

 enter one for experiment — for education by doing. In the 

 school-garden, or the home-garden or window garden, — in seed 

 plot or sand-box or flower-pot, experiment with different ways 

 of raising the same plant. Geraniums may be grown from 

 seeds or slips ; potatoes from seeds or tuber-cuttings or stem- 

 cuttings. 



Cuttings. — In moist sand, at the proper season try cuttings 

 or slips of geraniums, carnations, chrysanthemums, oleanders, 

 wandering-jew, tomato, etc. Experiment with cuttings of 

 wild plants and young-wood cuttings of willows, spiraea, 

 currants, gooseberries, etc. 



Do not leave much leaf surface on geranium and other leafy 

 slips, as the leaves may transpire water faster than the rootless 

 cuttings can supply it. Partial shading checks too rapid 

 transpiration. 



Begonias and other plants having thick leaves may be 

 propagated by cutting the leaf into triangles and planting or 

 pinning the points into moist sand. 



Attractive as the foregoing exercises are they yield in 

 fascination of the older pupils to practising the arts of 

 budding and grafting. 



Budding. — School is usually closed for the holidays at the 

 best time of the year to do budding, although successful 

 results may be obtained in early September. The art may be 



