38 
CUTTINGS AND SLIPS* 
taken off the stem of the Cutting than from the part 
that is buried in the soil. The shallower they are 
planted in the soil the better, but they must be well 
fastened in the soil; the pots that they are planted in 
should be well drained at the bottom with potsherds 
or gravel, and the soil should be kept moist but not 
wet, and the Glass they are covered with should be 
taken off and wiped occasionally. When the cuttings 
are rooted, the Glass should be taken off to harden 
them to the air a few days, but do not give them too 
much w T ater as the stem is apt to rot even after they 
have rooted. As soon as they are fairly rooted, they 
should be potted off in separate pots and kept shaded 
a few days, till they recover their potting. In prepar¬ 
ing the cuttings they should be cut straight across 
the stem close under a joint, or axil of the leaves, and 
such as are slipt off from the stem should be pared 
smooth, with a sharp knife at the base. Many kinds 
of herbaceous Plants can be increased by dividing 
their roots, and such kinds as produce suckers from 
the root, or shoots near the surface of the soil, can be 
slipped off and planted in pots and shaded till they 
have taken fresh roots. When plants cannot be easily 
raised by cuttings, layering is resorted to, which is 
performed by taking a branch nearest the ground, 
and taking off sipp^^aves as are in the way, and cut¬ 
ting the stem about th rough at a joint or axil of a 
leaf, and splitting up.^ojgit an inch ; this must be put 
downwards in the soil^a^f^gecured by a hooked stick 
if required, covering th^^o^ tjyp or three inches (more 
or less) according to tfye^ge gj| the layer. In taking 
off cuttings for planting^jt^^^jipgts of the previous 
