LEAF-MOULD. 



164 



LEAVES. 



some kinds of shrubs and trees than 

 with others, and it is not at all appli- 

 cable to herbaceous plants. Some 

 shrubs, such as the Honeysuckle, Te- 

 coma, Wistaria, &c, which produce 

 long shoots, and continue growing 

 throughout the summer, may be peg- 

 ged down as they grow, and the slit 

 made behind each bud, or e% T ery other 

 bud, covering the joint so treated with 

 soil. A great many plants are thus 

 produced from a single shoot in one 

 season, more especially in moist, 

 warm summers, or in a warm situa- 

 tion, where water is applied artifici- 

 ally. Layers of every description root 

 most freely in sandy soil, in an open 

 airy situation ; and those which are 

 difficult to root succeed best where 

 the soil is almost a pure sand. The 

 layering of Carnations is an operation 

 particularly suitable for ladies, more 

 especially when the plants are in 

 pots, as they can he placed on a table 

 or bench, and there will be no occa- 

 sion for stooping. 



Laying in by the Heels. — When 

 plants are taken up for removal, if 

 they cannot be planted immediately, 

 they are generally laid together hori- 

 zontally, in a trench made for that 

 purpose ; and the roots covered with 

 earth. This is done to prevent the 

 roots from becoming dry and wi- 

 thered, which they would do if they 

 were left exposed to the open air for 

 any length of time. 



Leadwort. — See Plumba v go. 



Leaf-Mould is formed of decayed 

 leaves, and is one of the most useful 

 materials in the culture of flowers. 

 All plants whatever will grow in leaf- 

 mould, mixed with loam and sand ; 

 and many plants will grow in leaf- 

 mould alone. It is particularly use- 

 ful for growing plants in pots, espe- 

 cially Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Petu- 

 nias, Brugmansias, &c. ; and in many 

 cases it may be used as a substitute 

 for heath-mould. Leaf-mould is 



formed by sweeping up the leaves of 

 trees and shrubs in autumn and win- 

 ter, and laying them in heaps in a 

 convenient place to rot, turning them 

 over occasionally, so as to expose 

 continually a new surface to the ac- 

 tion of the air. At the end of a year, 

 a considerable portion of the leaves 

 will have become mould, and may be 

 separated from the rest by sifting; 

 and at the end of two years, the whole 

 will have become one mass of mould. 

 If it were required to grow any kind 

 of herbaceous plants to the largest 

 possible size, within a given time, I 

 do not know how it could be better 

 done than by placing the plant in the 

 centre of a bed, three or four cubi- 

 cal yards deep, of leaf-mould mixed 

 with coarse sand, thoroughly drained 

 by a stratum of stones at the bottom, 

 and amply supplied with water. Pine- 

 apples in France, and Melons in Hol- 

 land, are grown to an enormous size 

 in only leaf-mould and sand. The best 

 substitute for leaf-mould is heath- 

 mould, mixed with sifted very rotten 

 dung. Or rotten dung alone may be 

 used, if it has become so thoroughly 

 decayed as to form a kind of mould. 



Leather Wood. — See Dirca. 



Leaves are, next to roots, the most 

 important parts of plants. With a 

 root a plant will begin to grow, but un- 

 less the leaves which it produces are 

 allowed to come to maturity, it will 

 soon cease to live, because it is in the 

 leaves alone that the moisture im- 

 bibed by the roots is elaborated into 

 the sap or vital juice of the plant. 

 Nothing so decidedly shows the igno- 

 rance or knowledge of a gardener as 

 the manner in which he treats the 

 leaves of plants. Those of bulbs 

 many gardeners will, if not prevented, 

 cut off as soon as the plants have done 

 flowering ; and in general gardeners 

 wish to perform the same operation on 

 all herbaceous plants after they have 

 flowered. When a man of this de- 



