Propagation by Cuttings, Layers and Grafting. 45 



that are covered, and become separate trees. They should only be 

 taken when the leaves are off, and should be set early in spring. 

 The lower end should be cut off smoothly and obliquely, and care 

 should be taken not to injure the bark in setting. 



171. If the shoots are cut late in fall and are put away in a damp 

 cellar, or if they are buried below the reach of frost, a callus will 

 form at the lower end, from whicb the roots will readily spring. In 

 the finely divided soil of the prairies, they should be set deep, and 

 in a dry climate but one or two buds above the surface will be suf- 

 ficient. The soil should be pressed down firmly around the shoots, 

 at the time of setting, and they should be kept free from weeds till 

 they shade the ground. Cuttings may be set in the fall, if covered 

 with a mulch in winter. This is done with gooseberries, currents, 

 and the grape, but is not so certain as in early spring. 



Layers. 



172. This method, in common use among nurserymen, is some- 

 times employed to get an independent root to a branch before sepa- 

 rating it from the parent tree. The branch is bent down into a 

 hollow place made in the soil, confined by a peg or a stone and the 

 end turned up, so that the leaves are exposed to the air. It is 

 generally well to partly cut off the branch at the lowest part, leaving 

 the upper half entire. The ground should be kept clear of weeds, 

 and should be watered in a dry time, while the new roots are form- 

 ing. After they have become well rooted, such plants may be care- 

 fully cut apart from the stock, and transplanted like seedling 

 sprouts. This is a very sure and convenient way to perpetuate va- 

 rieties of fruit and ornamental trees, and is usually done in autumn. 

 It does not apply to coniferous kinds. 



Grafting. 



173. This is one of the most common and certain ways of perpet- 

 uating varieties in fruit and ornamental trees. It is done chiefly in, 

 spring, and before the leaves appear, and is most likely to succeed in 

 mild moist weather. The stock should generally be a little more 

 advanced than the scion, and to secure this the latter should be cut 

 in winter, or even in autumn, and kept in a cool moist place, as in 

 a cellar, with the ends set in damp moss or fine soil. They should 

 be taken from thrifty shoots of the last year's growth. If cut from 



