194 



THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



strike freely enough by cuttings to get larger plants 

 sooner, or for the sake of running less risk of 

 failure, where there are few parent plants, and per- 

 haps little skill in the operator. Inarching, budding, 

 and grafting, are practised with a few species, and 

 very commonly with the fine varieties of Orange and 

 Camellia. Some of the Myrteacece and ProteacecB 

 are also so multiplied. On the continent most of the 

 green-house plants which are difficult to root are 

 propagated by layers, and by the Chinese mode of 

 ringing, and inclosing the ringed part of the stem in 

 earth. In China they knew no other mode than lay- 

 ing, before grafting was introduced by Europeans. 

 It is remarkable that the Otaheitans, who know 

 neither grafting nor laying, are yet acquainted with 

 the mode of propagating by leaves ; a mode which we 

 shall notice more particularly at the end of this sec- 

 tion, and which is also a natural mode like laying. 



Laying is a very natural mode of propagating plants 

 of the woody kind, as we see the dependent branches 

 of several species of trees resting on the soil and 

 rooting into it. It is seldom that trees have sufficient 

 room, and are so far left to themselves as to have 

 branches depending on the ground ; but where the 

 lime, holly, hazel, thorn, sycamore, &c., have attained 

 a great age in some old woods, rooted branches may 

 be found round their trunks. There is a fine example 

 of the lime tree rooting in this way at Knowle in 

 Kent, and we have seen elsewhere even the spruce 

 fir and cedar larch so rooted. 



