ELEMENTS CF AGRICULTURE. 
21 
■ LESSON X. 
REPRODUCTION BY PROPAGATION—LAYERING 
58. There are four principal modes of reproduction l y 
propagation, namely: 1. Layering. 2. By cuttings. 3, 
By grafting. 4. By inoculation. 
59. Layering consists in bending down the branches, 
Jimbs, or suckers, without separating them from the parent 
plant, and covering them with soil; their extreme ends 
only being left out. Thus buried, they will generally 
soon strike root; some particular trees, however, with ex¬ 
treme difficulty. Such must be tongued — an operation 
which consists in cutting the layer half off, and splitting it up 
an inch or more ; the cleft to be kept open by a small wedge, 
and buried beneath the surface. This operation should be 
performed in spring ; and the plant, when well rooted, may 
be separated in the autumn or spring following. 
60. By cuttings. There cne many plants that may be 
raised from cuttings. For trees, cuttings should generally 
be from eight inches to a foot in length, cut off at the bot¬ 
tom, close below an eye, and planted in a humid soil, two 
thirds of their length beneath the surface, and the ground 
trodden hard. With some particular kinds, however, it 
is necessary to square the bottom of the cutting, and press 
it hard down on the bottom of a pot. Other kinds must 
be planted in pure sand, and protected from the sun till 
rooted. They require artificial heat in the soil, and a con¬ 
fined atmosphere, which moderates their transpiration. 
QUESTIONS. 
1. How many modes are there of reproduction by propagation 1 
2. What are layers ? 
3. When a layer takes with difficulty, what is done ? 
4. When should layers be made, and when cut off? 
5. How should cuttings be prepared and planted ? 
6. What is the treatment of those cuttings that do not take readily ? 
