26 



SCIENCE OF GARDENING. 



practice of propagating them in this manner cannot be 

 recommended for gardening purposes. Dandelions, sow- 

 thistles, and the like, might also be adduced as further 

 illustrations of this pruiciple, and teach us the fallacy of 

 attempting to destroy them by merely hoeing off their 

 tops, as the only method of getting rid of them is to 

 eradicate every particle of the roots. 



Roots to show tlie neck or crown ; a, in shrubs and trees ; h, on 

 the carrot ; c, on herbs ; d, on biilbs. 



It will follow, that with these, and a few other similar 

 exceptions, roots will only be capable of being divided 

 when they have more crowns or eyes than one, as in the 

 small bulbs that grow at the base of the larger bulbs in 

 lilies, daffodils, tulips, and snow-drops ; the eyes in pota- 

 toes, and rhubarb ; the crowns in primroses, auriculas^ 

 sea-pinks or thrift, dahlias, p^eonies, and double rockets ; 

 and the side branches in border box and carnations. 



In many of the plants just mentioned, such, for instance, 

 as bulbs and primroses, the different crowns may be easily 

 separated from each other by the hand, as they may 

 generally be broken off or pulled asunder, with a good 

 portion of roots attached to each division, and being thus 

 well provided with roots, will grow without the slightest 

 difficulty. These remarks are a.lso applicable to dwarf- 

 box, which only requires to be slipped or broken off, with 

 a few roots to each division, to render success certain, as 

 it will sel dom grow without each piece is allowed to retain 



