the furface of the ground, or from boughs, plafhed fo as to bend their tops to the ground; or from trees brought into a stooping 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 moft 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 size, 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 must 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 fhoots to be layered, bend them to the bottom of the trench (either with or without plafhing, as may be found moft convenient), and there peg them faft; or, putting fome mold upon them, tread them hard enough to prevent their fpringing 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 thrufting an awl or bodkin through it, keeping the cleft open, by a chip or wooden pin; or by making a longitudinal fit 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 moft 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, drawing

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drawing it along the pith, half an inch, or an inch, according to the size of the layer. The whole ftool being treated in this manner, proceed to peg the layers close to the bottom of the trench, bedding the cleft or mouth of each in fine mold, for the fibres to strike into. (If the mold and the season be very dry, it may be well to moisten some fine mold with foft water, making it into a paste, and wrap the wounded part in a handful of this prepared earth.) This done, level in the mold, draw the point of the layer upright, and shorten it, as above directed; being careful to disturb the wounded part as little as poffible. It is a practice with fome to clear the ftools, entirely, after layering: we would rather recommend, however, to trim off fuch shoots only as are too old, or are defective, leaving fuch as are too young, to increase in growth; by which means an annual, instead of a biennial, fucceffion of layers will be had.

THE TIME OF LAYERING is generally autumn; fpring is favourable to fome plants, and midfummer to others; but trees and fhrubs, in general, may be layered at almost any time of the year.

THE length of time requifite for ROOTING a layer depends upon the nature of the plant: twelve months is generally confidered as a fufficient time, during which the layers fhould be kept clear from

weeds;

weeds; and, when the rooted plants are taken off, the stumps, from which they were fevered, fhould be cut off close to the ftools, in order that they may fend forth a future fupply of fhoots.

V. VI, BUDDING-AND GRAFTING are operations more particularly applicable to fruit trees, and belong to the kitchen gardener rather than to the planter. They are operations difficult to defcribe upon paper; and are known to every nurseryman and gardener. The great art in grafting lies in uniting the graft clofely, and firmly, with the ftock; and in budding, not to leave too much wood, nor yet to pare it off too close to the cye,

SECTION THE SECOND.

TRAINING TREES AND SHRUBS.

TREES and SHRUBS may be trained up from the feed bed, &c. until they be fit to be planted out to ftand, either in NURSERIES fet apart for the purpose, or in YOUNG PLANTATIONS; which last are frequently the moft eligible nurferies, as will

be explained hereafter. A SEPARATE NURSERY, however, is nevertheless neceffary; and in this place it will be proper to give fome general ideas of the foil, fituation, and bufinefs of a nurfery ground.

THE SOIL of the nursery, like that of the feminary, fhould be rich and deep, and like that, alfo, fhould be prepared, by double diggings, and fuitable meliorations: if not deep and rich by nature, it must be made fo by art, or be wholly rejected, as unfit for the purpofes of a nursery ground. For, if the roots of the tender plants have not a foil they affect, or a fufficient room to strike in, there will be little hopes of their furnishing themfelves with that ample stock of fibres which is necessary to a good plant, and with which to fupply them is the principal use of the nursery,

THE SITUATION of the nursery is frequently determined by the foil, and frequently by local conveniencies: the nearer it is to the garden or feminary, the more attendance will probably be given it; but the nearer it lies to the fcene of planting, the lefs carriage will be requifite. In whatever fituation the nursery be placed, it muft, like the feminary, be effectually fenced against hares and rabbits.

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