PEOPAGATION. 



229 



of Apples, Pears, Plums, Peaches, of all plants, 

 in fact, that are propagated by grafting or 

 budding, should be cut away as fast as they 

 appear, unless they spring from the scion and 

 not from the stock. Rhododendrons and Roses 

 require to be carefully watched against the 

 growth and encroachment of suckers which 

 spring from the stock. 



VI. — Propagation by Layers. 



A Layer is a branch or shoot, part of which is 

 introduced into the soil, and strikes root whilst 

 fed by the parent plant, with which, however, its 



Fig. 293.— Layering. 



communication is generally partially interrupted 

 by a cut, slit, or ligature. 



According to circumstances, various modes of 

 layering are adopted; the principal are simply 

 bending the shoot or branch and burying the 

 elbow of the bent portion in the soil, twisting, 

 incision, tongueing, slitting or heeling, strangu- 

 lation or wiring, ringing, serpentine arching, 

 insertion of the growing point, and circumpo- 

 sition. These having been detailed, and the 

 principles upon which they are founded under- 

 stood, the modes of operation can be varied still 

 more. 



1. Bending. — This is represented in Fig. 293, 

 where a represents the branch to be layered; b, 

 a hooked peg or stone to keep it down; c, a 

 stick to maintain the extremity of the shoot in 

 an upright position. This method is adopted 

 for all plants which fully develop adventitious 

 roots from the stem under the influence of a 

 slight check or when kept soft and moist. The 

 extremity of the shoot may, in most cases, be 

 more or less shortened, so that the buds left 

 may have the more sap to enable them to push 

 vigorously. When a straight stem is required, 

 the terminal bud may be preserved, and the 

 end above-ground kept upright by a stick. Or 



the shoot may be cut down to two buds above 

 the surface, and when they push, the strongest 

 may be selected to be trained upright for the 

 future stem, and the other rubbed or cut off'. 

 If in the course of the season buds should push 

 into shoots on the part of the layered branch 

 between where it is laid in the ground and the 

 parent stock, they should be checked, otherwise, 

 from their upright position, the sap would flow 

 into them rather than along the more depressed 

 part towards the extremity where it is wanted 

 to produce leaves; for on the elaborated sap 

 returned from these the formation of roots 

 depends. 



2. Twisting. — This is performed in the same 

 way as the preceding, except that the branch is 

 twisted, in order to check the returning sap, and 

 consequently favour the emission of roots. 



3. Incision by Splitting. — Small branches are 

 sometimes split by thrusting a sharp-pointed 

 knife through the middle of the branch at the 

 part which is to be laid in the earth, and then 

 splitting it longitudinally to the extent of 2 inches 

 or so, more or less, according to the size of the 

 branch. The parts are kept separate by a piece 

 of wood or stone. The split, of course, occasions 

 an obstruction of the sap, and allows of the emis- 

 sion of roots by the edges of the cleft. 



4. Tongueing or Heeling. — This is represented 

 by Fig. 294, where a represents the branch cut 

 half-way through at c, by entering the knife 

 about the lowest part of the bend below the bud 

 b, and cutting upwards ; the branch, being then 

 placed at the proper depth in the hole in the 



Fig. 294.— Layering by Tongueing and Ringing. 



soil made for its reception, is kept from spring- 

 ing up by the hooked peg d. In placing it, 

 care must be taken to keep separate the divided 

 portions at c, to allow of the free development 

 of callus and root. A piece of stone, hard soil, 

 or wood is sometimes employed to keep them 



