PROPAGATION OF TREES FROM BRANCHES AND CUTTINGS. 143 



forest-trees, shrubs, and roses, and to prepare them, some by- 

 cutting close to an eye of the young wood, and others by baring 

 at the base an inch or two of the previous year's wood. They 

 were laid in by the heels until the beginning of February, 1846, 

 and taking the hint from observing the condition of the refuse 

 prunings at the char-kiln, which had been lying about for some 

 time previous to the materials being collected and packed for 

 charring, I had a kindly hot bed made with well-wrought tree- 

 leaves to the height of about 30 inches, then about 3 inches of 

 healthy loam with some charred saw-dust were mixed with it. 

 On these I placed an old wooden frame, not so much for the 

 sake of shelter as for seclusion to carry out my experiment. 

 The cuttings were then placed in the soil at various depths in 

 rotation, a kindly lining of the same material as that of which 

 the bed was formed was placed all round ; and the outside to the 

 top of the frame all round was then thatched with furze faggots ; 

 this kept cold winds from the lining, giving the whole the ap- 

 pearance of a little furze stack. The result turned out to my 

 satisfaction. I found that almost any deciduous tree or plant 

 might be made to put forth abundance of roots, and formed into 

 healthy plants, if all matters appertaining thereto were carried 

 out on good and systematic principles. 



Some fruit-trees, however, are greatly improved by being 

 budded or grafted on proper stocks, and the same holds good to 

 some extent with other trees, shrubs, and roses, &c. ; but I have 

 observed that the properties of others have been very much de- 

 teriorated through their having been worked on unsuitable stocks. 

 On the other hand, I have also seen many trees entirely fail, 

 after good preparation had been made for them at a considerable 

 expense, and at the very time when it was reasonable to suppose 

 they should have made some return in the way of fruit ; and 

 others, again, have changed their naturally good properties ; and 

 therefore, that some of the first attempts to produce healthy, 

 thrifty plants by this process may fail it is not unreasonable to 

 suppose, still I have seen quite enough to convince me that the 

 thing may be accomplished to a considerable extent. I have 

 often observed, on turning leaves, rubbish heaps, &c, that, 

 besides branches of trees and shrubs having pushed forth healthy 

 roots, green stakes, thrust into hot-beds for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining the degree of bottom heat, have under peculiar circum- 

 stances put forth roots. Others, again, have put forth strong 

 shoots, only however to a certain extent, without roots ; but I 

 had never, previous to the spring of 1845, given such matters 

 any particular consideration, with a view to discover why such 

 things should happen, and the following facts may possibly 

 throw a little light on the matter. 



