120 
THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
of the shoots to be layered. Then take a shoot in the left 
hand and bend it towards the stem of the plant with the fore¬ 
finger, and with a small sharp knife in the right hand care¬ 
fully cut the shoot half through, a little below the third joint 
from the top, then turn the knife aside and slit the shoot 
upwards about half an inch, so as to form a tongue. That 
portion of the tongue which extends beyond the joint is to be 
cut off and the shoot is ready for layering. Bend it down to 
the ground and fix it with a hooked peg, keeping the tongue 
open with a pebble 
— ~Mp, and cover 
ongued por- 
r ith one inch 
} soil and the 
ion is com- 
The ap- 
lce of the 
vhen pegged 
will be as 
ented in the 
If dry 
3 r should fol- 
e layers must 
atered, and 
3 all the at- 
i they will 
e until they 
oted. Some 
i September 
[ be well to 
x emu v e a little 
earth from one or 
two of the earliest 
PliXK. 
layers to ascertain if they are well rooted. If they are, 
they must be severed from the parent plant by cutting 
through close to the joint at which they were layered, and 
may be planted out at once, or potted singly in three-inch pots. 
Our custom is to plant out a lot in clumps of three plants 
each, six inches apart, in order to obtain a good show of bloom 
the first year. In the autumn one or two plants are removed 
to afford space for the full development of the one or two 
remaining. 
