at the present time, plants raised
from layers on their own roots should be preferable and layering as a
method of propagating the hazel-plants resorted to until the general
public gets more and better acquainted and familiar with the growing of
hazel-plants.

The layering of hazel-plants in my nursery is done from imported stock
or parent-plants planted on ordinary farm land thoroughly worked and
well manured 12 feet apart each way. Two year old plants are selected
for such planting, they are allowed to grow about two seasons before we
layer them, which would be about in the autumn of the second year, at
that time there should be besides the ordinary growth of the original
plant, some fine young shoots growing from the root, which could be, if
go desired, layered together with other branches of the plant, but is
not always advisable, neither is it necessary, as the plants selected
for parent stock should be well branched and well able to furnish wood
enough for the first layering without those one year old shoots.

I will now try to show to you, as an illustration and at the same time
try to explain the reason why they should not be layered, simply because
they are there. It is all well and good to layer them, if the scarcity
of wood of a choice variety demands every branch obtainable and they
will grow all right, but will never produce as nice a root as layers
from a two year growth. These are the young so-called one-year-old
shoots I have referred to, really just this season's growth, perfectly
straight without any laterals. Now in layering them a little opening
long enough for the branch and about 3 to 4 inches deep, the same as for
layering other branches should be made in the ground and the young shoot
or branch carefully bent and placed in the opening and well anchored or
fastened before the ground is filled in again, otherwise our changeable
winters may heave and loosen them, we will then at the best of it
eventually grow but one plant from each of such shoots and generally
poorly rooted at that, that is a root rather long and crooked not very
easy to plant and still harder to dig, very much like this specimen a
layered one year old shoot, just taken from a parent plant.

We cannot improve much on this awkward root as it is impossible to
shorten the bend in layering them, but we can improve on them, if we
allow the one year shoot or growth another season to grow, we will then
at the end of the second season ha