II. PROPAGATING FROM CUTTINGS. It is not from feeds, alone, that plants may be increafed; fo great a fimplicity prevails in the fyftem of vegetation, that numerous tribes may be propagated from twigs or truncheons, cut out of the woody parts of the plants themselves, and ftuck naked into the ground, without either root or branch upon them: the part placed in contact with the foil fends forth roots, while that which is expofed to the open air, throws out branches!

BUT altho' moft of the aquatics, and many other genera of trees and fhrubs, may be raised from CUTTINGS, planted in common earth and in the open air, there are others which require more care and greater helps. Some require a warm, others a cool border: fome must be rooted in pots, others in ftoves, or in the greenhouse. Again, fome fhould be taken from the older branches, others from younger fhoots: fome require to be planted in autumn, others in the fpring. Thefe and other peculiarities of treatment will be fpecified, when we come to treat, feparately, of each individual.

III. PROPAGATING FROM SUCKERS. There is a great fimilarity between the branches and the roots of plants. If the fibres of fome VOL. Í.

C

fpecies

fpecies become expofed to the air, they quit their function of fupplying the parent plant with nourishment, and, taking upon them the nature of feedlings, put forth leaves and branches. These rootling plants are called SUCKERS; and if they be flipt off from the parent root, and planted in a foil and fituation fuited to their respective natures, they will grow up, in the manner of feedling plants.

VARIOUS opinions are held, refpecting the propriety of raifing trees and fhrubs from fuckers: EVELYN and MILLER are against the practice; faying, that plants raised from fuckers are more apt to fend up fuckers (which are troublesome intruders, especially in ornamental grounds) than thofe of the fame fpecies which have been raised from feeds. HANBURY, however, is of a contrary opinion: he fays, "What might incline people to this notion was, that they have obferved trees raised from feeds very long before they produced fuckers ; but they should confider, that no tree or plant will produce fuckers, till it is of a fuitable fize or ftrength for the purpose, any more than animals can produce young before they are of proper age; and let them plant a feedling that is grown ftrong, a layer of the fame ftrength; and one which has been raised from a fucker, exactly of the fame fize, and with the fame number of fibres to the

root,

root, and they will find that the feedling, or the layer, will not be behind-hand with the other in producing fuckers, if they have all a like foil and fituation; for it is peculiar to them to sport under the foil, in this manner; and Nature will ever act agreeably to herself, if not stopped in her progrefs by art." Nevertheless, in fpeaking of particular plants, we find him holding forth a different language.

IV. PROPAGATING BY LAYERING.— As the roots of some plants, when expofed to the air, fend forth fhoots and branches, so the branches of others, when placed in contact with the earth, fend out fibres and roots, which being fevered from the parent plant, a separate tree is produced.

LAYERING being an operation by which a great majority of trees and fhrubs may be propagated, and by which the many beautiful variegations are principally preferved, we fhall here give fome. general directions for performing it; referving, however, the minutia, peculiar to each fpecies, until we come to treat of the individual fpecies, separately.

LAYERS are bent, either from the tools of trees and fhrubs, headed down to a few inches above

the furface of the ground, or from boughs, plashed fo as to bend their tops to the ground; or from trees brought into a ftooping pofture, by excavating the foil on one fide of them, until their heads are lowered into a fimilar fituation.

STOOLS afford the fimpleft, and are the most common, fupply of layers. Where a great number of layers are wanted, plants fhould be raised for the purpose, and planted in fome well fenced ground, or in fome vacant part of the feminary, or nurfery; and, when of a proper age and fize, be headed down, to the height of about eight inches, for ftools. In many cafes, trees ftanding in grounds, or woods, may be cut down, and give a fufficient fupply. In whatever fituation they are, the earth round them muft be doubly dug, as deep as the foil will allow, and be treated in a manner fimilar to that of a feed bed.

THE METHOD OF LAYERING is this: Dig a fhallow trench round the ftool (of a depth suitable to the fize and nature of the plant, as from four to eight inches), and having pitched upon the shoots to be layered, bend them to the bottom of the trench (either with or without plashing, as may be found moft convenient), and there peg them faft; or, putting fome mold upon them, tread them hard enough to prevent their springing up

again-fill in the mold;-place the top of the layer in an upright pofture, treading the mold hard behind it; and cut it carefully off, above the fecond or third eye.

In this fimple way a numerous tribe of plants may be layered: there are many, however, which require a more complex treatment. Some will fucceed by having a chip taken off the under fide of the lower bend of the layer, which gives the fibres an opportunity of breaking out, with greater freedom: others, by having a cleft made, in that part, by thrusting an awl or bodkin through it, keeping the cleft open, by a chip or wooden pin; or by making a longitudinal flit in the bark only others fucceed better, by twisting the part: and others, again, by pricking it, and binding a wire round it. But when SIMPLE LAYERING will not fucceed, the most prevailing, and in general the most certain, method is that of TONGUE LAYERING; which is thus performed: The excavation being made, and the layer chofen and trimmed, ascertain where the lower bend of it will fall, by taking it in the left hand and bending it down to the bottom of the trench; then placing the thumb of the right hand firmly against the part opposite which the tongue falls, infert the edge of the knife, as with an intent to cut the layer off fhort, in that place; but having cut about half way thro' it, turn the edge of the knife abruptly upwards,