10 TREATISE ON 



article IV. On Layers. 



stocks of quince, mahaleb cherry, Doucin apple, & Paradise apple trees are 

 grown more customarily from layers than from seeds. To produce a lot of them, parent 

 stocks are created; i.e. in the autumn or at the beginning of spring a large tree that one 

 wants to propagate is cut flush with the ground. The earth is cleared away a little around 

 the stump so that the shoots will emerge as low down as possible. In spring a large 

 number of them appear that get to be two to three feet long in by autumn. At that time the 

 shoots & the stump are earthed up with four or five inches of soil. Even better, a small 

 trench five to six inches wide & of equal depth is dug around the stump. The shoots are 

 laid in it and held down if necessary with wooden hooks. The trench is filled in, and the 

 earth is tamped down firmly by foot, simultaneously holding up the tip of each shoot so 

 that it's kept perpendicular to the ground. During the summer the trench is covered with 

 litter or with ferns to keep it fresh, & it's watered several times during dry spells. The 

 following autumn, or by the second year at the latest, the shoots are quite sufficiently 

 supplied with roots so that they can be separated & planted in a nursery. Nevertheless the 

 stump will produce new ones & can continue to provide them for the next twelve or 

 fifteen years. 



Article V. On Cuttings. 



Fig Trees, currant bushes, quince trees, Paradise apple trees, mahaleb cherry trees, &c, 

 are propagated further by cuttings. 



