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THE ART OP 



too thickly, the seedlings will be puny ; if too thinly, they Trill 

 remain short and sprawling. The vigour of the plant and 

 its ultimate destination should be taken into account. If 

 the sowing has been too thick, it should be judiciously thinned 

 out in summer. Earthing up, watering, weeding, destroying 

 insects, and keeping off birds, are matters requiring some 

 attention 



Layering. 



This is performed in spring, summer, or autumn, with 

 woody or herbaceous branches not separated from the parent 

 stem, around which a small trench is dug at a short distance. 

 Into this the strong and healthy branches are pegged down, 

 then bent abruptly, and the end turned up vertically, and cut 

 off, so as to leave a couple of eyes above ground. The trench 

 is then filled up with good soil. In multiple layering, a branch 

 is laid down from the parent stem horizontally in a trench. 

 This branch should form a number of young herbaceous 

 branchlets about three or four inches long. Each of these 

 will take root, and in autumn may be cut away as a separate 

 plant. Kinds that are slow in sending out roots should have 

 an incision made, either lengthways or across, immediately 

 under an eye on the part that is put under the soil. Tender 

 kinds and evergreens should be layered in pots. In all modes 

 of layering, the layer should be separated from the parent 

 plant as soon as it is well rooted. It is then taken up and 

 planted permanently or in the nursery. 



Jlillock-Layering. 

 This is used for the quince, the Paradise and Doucin apples, 

 the plum, the fig, the hazel, &c. The stock is cut down level 

 with the ground ; in summer, a small mound is raised about 

 it, and the ends of the young shoots are pinched, which excites 

 them to throw out a number of rootlets. In autumn the 



