PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES 

 AND SHRUBS 



If we were to take many books about trees and 

 shrubs or general gardening as a guide, one might 

 be led to think that only one way of increasing a 

 tree or shrub existed, and that by grafting ; but, as 

 we have pointed out elsewhere, it is a mischievous 

 practice when indiscriminately applied. It is not con- 

 tended by this that grafting and budding are utterly 

 needless, as in a few instances these methods may 

 be rightly adopted, but the four natural ways of 

 increase are by layers, seeds, suckers, and cuttings. 



Of these, practise seed-raising whenever possible ; 

 but if seeds cannot be procured, then adopt other 

 ways, and the man is wise who tries to keep a plant 

 on its own roots. Neither budding nor grafting 

 should be resorted to, unless other means fail ab- 

 solutely. When standard trees cannot be got true 

 from seed, budding or grafting must be practised, 

 and the evils of these methods of propagation are 

 not so pronounced in such cases as with dwarf 

 plants. With the former, suckers, or growths from 

 the stock, are easily seen as soon as they appear, but 

 with dwarf plants a perfect forest of suckers may 

 seriously weaken the plant before they are noticed. 



Seeds. — These can be sown at almost any time, 



