Supination

“ And the directions given in one of the most extensive works in Europe on the propagation of an extensive genus, varied in character and constitution, run thus: "Cuttings of most kinds will strike root. From the strongest growing kinds, take off large cuttings at a joint, and plunge them in a pot of sand under a hand-glass in the bark bed. Of the smaller kinds take younger kinds, and put them under a bell-glass, also plunged in heat. The sooner the plants are potted off after they are rooted the better." ”

“ The buds {113} not receiving sufficient supply of root-moisture, instead of pressing on to new formation of wood, only find enough to burgeon out into flower-buds, which the following season drain the tree by reproduction; this fruit-bearing alternates with periods of exhaustion, when the buds have not even supply sufficient to swell into the embryo of flower and seed, but extend only into a few leaves; and sometimes, in the event of a benign season, the buds may throw out a small extension of new shoots. ”

“ Every moment more of these seed coats ruptured, and even as they did so the swelling pioneers overflowed their rent-distended seed-cases, and passed into the second stage of growth. With a steady assurance, a swift deliberation, these amazing seeds thrust a rootlet downward to the earth and a queer little bundle-like bud into the air. In a little while the whole slope was dotted with minute plantlets standing at attention in the blaze of the sun. ”

“ Propagation.--All the species may be multiplied by seed, by layers, by cuttings, by suckers, or from grafts, almost indiscriminately. Layering is the easiest, and most certain mode of propagating this most beautiful shrub.
The roots that branch, out and throw up distinct shoots may be divided, or cut off from the main root, and even an eye thus taken off may be made to produce a good plant.
Suckers, when they have pushed through the soil, may be taken up by digging down, and gently detaching them from the roots. ”

“ When the seed of any plant begins to grow, the first little shoot is so soft that you can mash it to a green paste between your fingers. Even a sprouting oak or maple is as soft as that. It has no bark. ”

“ The root and a little of the lower stalk is from a seed, and upon this has been grafted or spliced with soft bands and wax, a bud from some choice kind of peach or apple or plum, or whatever the tree is to be, and this new bud grows and forms the tree. Sometimes a bud of the choice kind is merely inserted beneath the bark of another tree and grows and forms a new limb. By and by, when it bears fruit, the fruit will be of the kind that was on the choice tree, but the seed, though it looks just the same, may be altogether different. ”

“ At the tops of the branches stand many small green heads, out of which grow several small, yellow threads or thumbs, which are the flowers, and continue many days blown in that manner, before it pass away into down, and with the seed is carried away in the wind. The root is small and thready, and soon perishes, and as soon rises again of its own sowing, so that it may be seen many months in the year both green and in flower, and seed; for it will spring and seed twice in a year at least, if it be suffered in a garden. ”

“ Those of the first section may be propagated by means of cuttings, and can be kept in proper shape by pruning. The others are most readily propagated by seed, and must not be pruned so severely, especially after they have attained a large size. They all thrive in a mixture of peat, loam, and leaf-mould, or they may be grown in loam and leaf-mould alone. ”

“ Propagated by seeds, suckers, layers or cuttings. Grafting and budding are each practicable, and are adopted when growing tall standards or scarce varieties. The seed of all should be sown as soon as gathered, or stored in sand till the following spring. All superior varieties should be increased by suckers or layers. Stools kept for layering must be allowed to make more growth than those used for suckers. ”

“ Grown from seeds, cuttings and layers. Cuttings usually make better plants than layers. The deciduous species are usually grown from hard-wood cuttings, but the evergreen kinds are started under glass, from cuttings of the growing or ripened wood. The small and weak kinds are grafted on the stronger ones. The evergreen species will grow upon the deciduous kinds.
Eupatorium. Compositæ.
Cuttings of the growing wood, under glass in early spring, is the common method of propagation. Seeds can also be used for some species. ”

“ The tree from which we cut the scions should be in a growing state, though this is not so essential as in the case of the stock, as has been seen in spring budding—still, a degree of activity is desirable. The young shoot should have perfected its growth to such an extent as to have deposited its woody fibre, it should not be too succulent; but the essential condition is, that it should have its buds well developed. ”

“ Those of the pine, fir, hemlock, and spruce are curved in such manner that, in being dragged through the air by the seeds, they are made to revolve, whirling the seeds in a close spiral, and sustaining them long enough to allow the winds to carry them to considerable distances,—a style of flying full of quick merry motion, strikingly contrasted to the sober dignified sailing of seeds on tufts of feathery pappus. Surely no merrier adventurers ever set out to seek their fortunes. ”

“ The seed in the ground will express itself in its little shoot, often moving weights a thousand times heavier than itself in its efforts to reach the rays of the sun. The sapling may be bent and confined to the ground, but its branches, following the laws of its being will instinctively shoot upward. Restrict the growth of the plant, if you can, but, nevertheless, it will move along the lines of least resistance and grow toward the sun, in spite of your efforts. ”

“ Just as that small portion of nourishing matter which is deposited in the seed feeds the embryo when it germinates, so the much larger portion deposited in the tuber nourishes its buds, or eyes, when they likewise grow, the next spring, into new plants. And the great supply enables them to shoot with a greater vigor at the beginning, and to produce a greater amount of vegetation than the seedling plant could do in the same space of time ”

“ The planter follows with seed in a tin box, or any small vessel having a broad bottom, and taking a small pinch between the thumb and forefinger he gives a slight scratch with the remaining fingers of the same hand, and dropping in about half a dozen seed covers them half an inch deep with a sweep of the hand, and packs the earth by a gentle pat with the open palm to keep the moisture in the ground and thus promote the vegetation of the seed. ”

“ The younger need summer pruning and pinching, to check their too great vigor, and to develop the laterals or spurs with their blossom buds; the older need winter pruning, for the double purpose of reducing the amount of fruit, and also to excite renewed vigor in the production of wood growth that shall take the place of that which has been removed. ”

“ Pruning is one of the most important operations that we perform upon plants,—especially woody plants. Pruning, in some sort, has to be performed at all periods of their existence and growth, and upon all plants, from the noble forest tree, or the fruit trees of the orchard, of [252] whatever kind, to the humble bushes and brambles that yield us their abundant and most welcome fruits: the trailing vine that adorns our arbors and covers our trellises with its rich and tempting clusters of grapes, also needs to be pruned. ”

“ By early pruning, the sap is made to act upon the buds unfavorably situated upon the tree, it brings, them out, and also developes latent buds upon the old wood. Thus, by early pruning, it is possible to prevent the tree being covered with naked stems. It may be advantageous to wait even to the period when the shoots begin to lengthen upon trees that possess too much vigor, and which would not otherwise be easily put into a fruit bearing condition. ”

“ Repot auriculas, and sow auricula seed in boxes under glass. Propagate herbaceous and other plants that have gone out of flower, by means of cuttings and slips, especially those required for spring bedding; propagate also the various summer bedding plants increased by cuttings. Increase roses and American shrubs, by layering, budding or cuttings, and go on with the layering of carnations and picotees. Stake and tie up dahlias and strong herbaceous plants. ”

“ The new rootlets have again more connexion to promote the growth of the radical leaves, and to induce offsets—tillering—from the sides of the bulb, than to nourish or mature the core part, from whence the stem arises—a certain comparative extension and maturity of the core being necessary to the rising of the stem. ”

“ Also in fingering the seeds, you will know why some are slow in germinating: these are either hard and gritty, sandlike, like those of the English primrose, smooth as if coated with varnish, like the pansy, violet, columbine, and many others, or enclosed in a rigid shell like the iris-hued Japanese morning-glories and other ipomeas. Heart of Nature is never in a hurry, for him time is not. What matters it if a seed lies one or two years in the ground? ”

“ That they are at least capable of becoming independent plants, is shown by an experiment frequently successful when the necessary care is taken, namely the breaking off and sowing of the buds of our forest trees. The well-known garden operations of grafting and budding are also examples of this, and layering only differs from the sowing of the buds, in that the buds on the layers are allowed to acquire a certain degree of maturity before they are separated from the parent plant. ”

“ Seeds may be sown out-doors in a warm border in spring, or in pans, to be placed either in frames or outside. The old plants of perennial sorts may be cut down after flowering, when young growths will proceed from the base, and the whole may be lifted and carefully divided. Cuttings of the young shoots, taken in autumn or spring, will root freely if potted singly and placed in a cold-frame. ”

“ If the sapling is so situated that it obtains a bountiful supply of food and sunlight, a unique cane of natural growth will be the result.
Having taken a hint from nature in the case of the bitter-sweet vine and the hickory sapling, I extended my experiments in many directions. Taking three cuttings (slips) of basket-willow, I planted them close together as shown in Fig. 2. After they had taken root and begun to push out branches, I reduced the number of branches to one for each cutting, always retaining the most vigorous branch. ”

“ But nuts and fruit and ripe seeds are only part of the work of the trees and shrubs. All the time that they are busy producing that two feet or less of woody growth, all the time the growing and ripening of seeds is going on, there is a further and very important labor to be attended to. That is the production of next year’s buds. This is no haphazard matter, nor is it left until the other things are out of the way, but is carefully begun and{164} patiently carried on through the summer, early autumn seeing everything complete. ”

“ Each flower had two green sepals and five colored petals, also five stamens, so they knew it was an exogen, though it would have been harder to tell this from the thick, pulpy leaves and stem. The little seed-pod of each had a tiny cap which lifted off when the seeds were ripe, leaving a perfect cup, heaping full.
"You see, children," said the Chief Gardener, "weeds do not care to be either useful or ornamental. So they become rank and common, and lose their beautiful flowers. But somehow they never have any less seed. ”

“ Propagated by seeds, by layers or cuttings under frames outside, or inside with a gentle bottom heat; but seedlings always make the best plants. The seeds should be sown early in the spring in pans or boxes in a frame, and lightly covered with sifted sandy mould. Cuttings should be made from three to four inches long. They may be struck in spring or autumn, in sandy peat under glass. ”

“ Once upon the ground, the seed has to germinate if it can; its root has to pierce the soil or find a way in between crevices of rocks or sharp-edged stones. All the time it is exposed to danger from birds, beasts, and insects, which are only kept off by its resin. But it is difficult to see, for its colour is just that of dead pine needles and its shape is such that it easily slips into crevices. Then the seven or eight small green seed leaves break out of the tough seed coat, and the seedling is now a small tree two inches high. ”

“ It is of the highest importance to understand that a bud is simply the young state of a shoot, and that it consists of the growing-point of the shoot enveloped by closely-folded leaf structures. In the oak the buds are already formed before the end of June, and on looking closely into the axils of the leaves on the young shoots—which have by that time ceased to elongate to any considerable extent farther—they may be seen as small, green, hairy bodies. ”

“ Do you know how nature plants them? A seed starts and becomes a small plant on the surface of the leaf mould or a little beneath; little roots push downward and to right and left; and later, after getting a good hold below with numerous branchlets, the slender roots shorten and tug away at the tiny bulb above, as much as to say, "Come down a little into mother earth, for cold winter is approaching and there will be danger from frost." The young bulb is drawn down an inch more or less, the slender roots perish with the growing year, but the bulb is preserved. ”