228 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



IV. — Propagation by Runners. 



Like the Strawberry, many plants emit runners, 

 which proceed along the surface of the ground, 

 deriving nourishment from the parent plant, and 

 develop, at a greater or less distance from it, a 

 bud on the upper side, whilst small projections 

 form on the opposite or under side. These are 

 rudimentary roots, which, under favourable cir- 

 cumstances, strike into the soil, and assist in 

 nourishing the young plant. The growing point 

 of the runner proceeds, and another plant is 

 formed at the next joint or bud, and so on. 

 In propagating by runners, if the object be 

 to obtain as many plants as possible, the old 

 plants should be prevented from bearing flowers 

 by cutting off all flower-buds as they appear. 

 If particularly strong plants are required, the 

 runner should be stopped after it has made 

 one or two joints. By so doing the whole 

 flow of sap conveyed from the old plant by the 

 runner will be appropriated by one or two 

 plants, instead of proceeding onward to supply 

 a number. 



V. — Propagation by Suckers. 



A sucker is a stem or shoot which springs 

 from a subterranean portion of the plant. 



Two kinds of suckers may be distinguished, 

 namely, root-suckers and stem-suckers. 



A root-sucker proceeds from an adventitious 

 bud formed on the root, sometimes close to the 

 stem, as in the Gooseberry and Currant, fre- 

 quently at a considerable distance from it, as 

 in the Plum, Robinia, and Poplar. Roots are 

 normally destitute of buds, but under certain 

 conditions, such as when the plant has been 

 wounded or checked in its growth, buds are 

 formed. In some plants they appear to be nor- 

 mal, as in the Elm, White Poplar, and Bramble. 

 These buds grow and form what are termed 

 suckers, which can be removed with a knife or 

 spade, with a portion of the root attached, or, 

 in the case of plants which do not root freely, 

 the suckers may be partially severed so as to 

 induce them to develop roots. They can then 

 be transplanted with safety. This should be 

 done at the proper time for transplanting the 

 plant from which they are taken. 



Whilst it is desirable that suckers intended 

 for propagation should be taken up with roots 

 attached, yet, in doing this, care should be 

 taken not to injure the parent plant by the re- 

 moval of too many of its roots. If the suckers 



spring from a thick root, the soil should be 

 removed, and instead of severing the large root, 

 a slice of it can be detached with the sucker. 



Stem-suckers spring from the base of the stem 

 below the surface of the soil. The growth and 

 increase of these suckers is made at the expense 

 of the part of the plant above them. Old plants, 

 and especially any that have been heavily pruned 

 or pollarded, often produce stem-suckers freely. 

 Sometimes a strong sucker will grow with such 

 vigour as to make it worth while to remove the 

 whole of the original stem in favour of the 

 sucker. As a rule a plant which has developed 

 a tendency to produce stem-suckers will continue 

 to do so, the new life thus started at the base of 

 the stem drawing increased supplies of nourish- 

 ment in that direction. Where there are any 

 latent buds they will be stimulated into growth, 

 and in many cases adventitious buds are formed, 

 which under these circumstances develop into 

 shoots. These shoots when they originate be- 

 low the ground frequently strike root and form 

 rooted suckers. When they do not naturally 

 strike root, they may be encouraged to do so 

 by partly severing them with a knife from the 

 stem and earthing them up with some good 

 mould, which should be kept moist. If the 

 plant is one of those of which the suckers readily 

 strike, and make sufficient roots in the course 

 of a season to support them, when taken up, as 

 distinct plants, the principal stem may be cut 

 down to the surface of the ground, provided it 

 is of less consequence to preserve it than to ob- 

 tain a number of young plants by the production 

 of suckers, which the cutting down of the old 

 stem would encourage. But before this pro- 

 ceeding is adopted, some precautions should be 

 taken in case the cutting down of the stem 

 should not have the desired effect. If suckers 

 have already made their appearance, there is no 

 danger; but if there are no symptoms of them, 

 it must be considered whether the plant is one 



I that invariably produces suckers when cut 



1 down. 



When the suckers are taken from the parent 

 stock they may be considered plants, and treated 

 as such. In many instances, however, it is likely 

 that the quantity of roots will be small in pro- 

 portion to the rest of the plant; and this also 

 will probably be the case when the sucker has 

 received a large share of nourishment from the 

 roots of the mother plant, as well as from those 

 of its own formation. 



From what has been said above it will be 

 evident that suckers are generally injurious to 

 the plant producing them. Of course suckers 



