till March,
being careful to dig them up from the mother-plant with as much and many
root-fibres as possible, and trimming them ready for planting, by
shortening the long straggling fibres, and cutting off any thick-nobbed
part of the old root that may adhere to the bottom, leaving only the
fibres arising from the young wood; though it is probable some will
appear with hardly any fibres; but as the bottom part, having been under
ground, and contiguous to the root of the main plant, is naturally
disposed to send forth fibres for rooting; preparatory to planting them
out, the stems of the shrub and tree-suckers should likewise be trimmed
occasionally, by cutting off all lower laterals; and any having long,
slender, and weak tops, or such as are intended to assume a more
dwarfish or bushy growth, may be shortened at top in proportion, to form
about half a foot to one or two feet in length, according to their
nature or strength; and others that are more strong, or that are
designed to run up with taller stems, may have their tops left entire,
or shortened but little: when thus taken up and trimmed, they should be
planted out in rows in the nursery; the weak suckers separately in close
rows; and also the shortened and stronger plants, each separately in
wider rows; so that the rows may be from one to two feet asunder, in
proportion to the size and strength of the suckers: and after being thus
planted out, they should have the common nursery-culture of cleaning
from weeds in summer, and digging the ground between the rows in winter,
&c. and in from one to two or three years they will be of a proper size
for planting out where they are to remain: and some kinds of trees,
large shrubs, &c. produce suckers strong enough in one season to be fit
for planting where they are to remain; as well as some sorts of roses,
and numerous other flowering shrubs; also some plants of the strong
shooting gooseberries, currants, raspberries, and others of similar
kinds. It may generally be observed of such trees and shrubs as are
naturally disposed to send up many suckers, that by whatsoever method
they are propagated, whether by seeds, suckers, layers, cuttings, &c.
they commonly still continue their natural tendency in this respect.
When it is, therefore, required to have any sorts to produce as few
suckers as possible, not to over-run the ground, or disfigure the
plants, it is proper, both at the time of separating the suckers, or
planting the