HOW PLANTS ARE INCREASED 



at the point where roots are wanted, often answers as 

 well as the notch, although in the case of thick, hard 

 shoots it is obviously out of the question. Rhododendron, 

 Walnut, Fig, Forsythia, Loganberry are among plants 

 that are usually increased by layering. The best time to 

 carry out this work is in October, although it may be 

 done any time between then and March, when the weather 

 is mild and the ground is not hard ; but the chances of 

 success are not so good when layering is delayed beyond 

 October. The process of layering is most familiar in 

 the cultivation of the Carnation. 



It is customary to increase some plants by means of 

 leaf cuttings. Begonia Rex (a greenhouse plant dis- 

 tinguished by handsome foliage), Begonia Gloire de 

 Lorraine (a favourite winter blooming greenhouse plant), 

 and Gloxinias are familiar examples of plants increased 

 in this way. The leaves are laid on moist sand in a closed, 

 shaded case in the warm greenhouse. Little plants form 

 in the course of a few weeks, and as soon as large enough 

 to take hold of, they are removed from the parent leaf 

 and potted in small flower pots. If kept in a closed 

 case for a few weeks they soon make progress, and sub- 

 sequently are given ordinary greenhouse treatment. In 

 the case of such thick leaves as those of Gloxinia and 

 Begonia Rex, it is usual to cut through the thick ribs 

 beneath the leaf so as to induce the development of 

 little plants more readily. 



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