uge
bushes, and they become very ugly in so doing. The top looks all right
and many a person wishes that top were off all by itself and nicely
potted.

"This is the way it is topped. A slit is cut in the bark about where you
would like to see roots growing. Then soil and florists' moss is bound
about the wound. These may easily be kept moist. A paper pot could be
put about the soil if one wished. The soil mass should be a ball of
about six inches in diameter. When the new roots appear through the
moss or poking out of the paper pot, cut the stem of the plant below the
pot. And behold you have a little rubber plant just as good as new, I
have told this before to the girls.

"Another method of layering is to cut the parent off down to the ground.
What is left is called the stool. This stool should be covered with
about six inches of earth. Let us suppose this is done in early spring.
When fall comes around uncover the stool. There will be found a number
of new shoots or plants all nicely protected. These may be transplanted.
Do you know that stool can be used over again?

"This work of layering is really very simple. Myron used it with his
strawberries. The runners were bent and buried just as those of the
gooseberry I spoke of. In this way new strawberry plants were obtained.
One shoot may be bent and buried more than once. So one may get just as
easily two or more new plants from one shoot. This seems as much a
miracle as the cross fertilization of plants.

"The fifth method is that of budding. Apple, peach, plum, cherry and
pear trees may be budded; so, too, may roses.

"In a word, a bud is taken from some desirable tree and inserted within
the bark of a tree either less desirable or young. Young fruit trees,
as you know, need some help before they produce good fruit. Now if
George had at home a peach tree which bore very fine fruit he would be
glad to cross a young tree with this. Budding is a kind of crossing.

"This work should be done in the spring, although it may be done in the
fall. But the spring is a more limber time with Nature. Sap is begining
to flow; life is new and fresh again; all the plant world is ready to
start up and do something. Then, too, the bark of trees should be in as
flexible a condition as possible. The two things really necessary for
the work are mature buds and bark easy to peel.

"Buds should be taken from the very strongest and best twigs of the last
year's growth. The little see