68 Principles of Gardening 



bud has produced. The one-year's lateral shoots, on which 

 such places cannot be mistaken, are therefore the best adapted 

 for propagation ; and, as soon as they are ready, the young 

 shoot should be drawn out of the old one with the leaf attached, 

 so as to obtain all the original axillary formation of the bud and 

 the combined vessels of the leaf. The torn surface is then cut 

 smoothly in the direction of the base of the leaf. This method 

 is very successful with plants that are difficult to root, and that 

 have leaves surrounded with prickles, such as Mutism zlicifolia, 

 Berkleys grandiflora, Loganz'a floribunda, latifolia, &c. ; also with 

 those the leaves of which proceed from the stalk with very strong 

 veins, or where the circumference of the leaf is very strongly 

 defined, such as Banks/a grandis, Berkleys ciliaris, the different 

 species of Daviesm, Chorozema ovata, &c. ; or those that have 

 winged stems, such as Acacia alata; or have stems covered 

 with a woolly tissue, such as several gnaphaliums and heli- 

 chrysums. Where cuttings of these plants are not made in this 

 manner, it will be found that the lower part of the surface of 

 the cut will become black, and the cutting will die in a short 

 time. This cut is also not only adapted for the above-mentioned 

 plants, but is highly to be recommended for most others that 

 make similar lateral shoots : but many even grow extremely well 

 from the young shoots taken off in this manner, such as the 

 different species of E'pacris, when they form lateral shoots after 

 flowering, and almost all the easily growing species of .Erica, 

 on which, however, all the leaves must be left; such are .Erica 

 margaritacea, rubens, ramentacea, mucosa, tenera, tenella, sca- 

 briuscula, Persoluta, pellucida, and all those of a similar growth. 

 Those ericas, on the contrary, that are more difficult to grow, 

 must be cut from the old wood; such as £rica pinguis, aristata, 

 ferruginea, Hartnellz, cer'mthoides, empetrifolia, picta, fasciculata, 

 vernix, &c. In selecting the shoot, great care ought to be 

 taken not to choose one which has already formed its blossom- 

 bud, as it frequently happens that all the assimilated nourishing- 

 matter has been expended for its future support, and no root 

 formation follows. Many plants that have flower-buds at the 

 points are, therefore, very difficult to propagate by cuttings ; 

 such as Blairm mcoides; whereas, with some others, it has very 

 little influence, as Z?rica tenella, and several species of Phylica, 

 &c. Many plants that have thick evergreen or fleshy leaves 

 may be successfully propagated by merely taking off a leaf with 

 the axillary bud ; such, for example, as the Camellz'a, Ardisia, 

 Roches, Theophrasto, &c. 



When the point of a twig is taken for a cutting, no ad- 

 vantage is obtained by making the cut through the node, 

 although this method is frequently practised ; because the roots 

 very seldom proceed from the node itself, but rather from its 



