138 



SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



gated by planting the tuber whole or by planting pieces 

 of it. The young plant is developed from the bud, and, of 

 course, if a piece should have no buds, or eyes, it will not 

 grow. 



Cuttings. — Such plants as the willow, poplar, grape 



vine, spiraea and 

 bridal wreath may 

 be propagated in the 

 following manner : 



Secure in the late 

 autumn some fresh, 

 firm young twigs 

 of the same season's 

 growth. Cut them 

 into pieces about six 

 inches in length and 

 store them in the 

 ground as you did 

 the tuUp and crocus 

 bulbs in the last ex- 

 ercise. In the spring, 

 at garden planting 

 time, set these cut- 

 tings out in rows, 

 leaving only one or 

 two buds above the 

 „ .^. , ... , surface ofthe 



Cuttings 01 vanous kinds of 



wood. ground. 



Fig. 50. 



104. Plants formed by the Union of Two Plants. — 



None of our choice varieties of fruit come true to seed. 

 This is a fact of vital consequence in fruit culture. We 

 can not reproduce a desirable variety of fruit by planting 

 the seed. Furthermore, not many of our fruit trees can 



