A thin coating of sand placed on the surface will greatly facilitate the process of rooting. Cuttings of coniferous trees should have 2 in. of ripened wood attached to them, and be inserted 4 in. deep in the ground; while, for most others, the cuttings may be 8 in. long, 3 in. being inserted in the soil. =From Layers.=—For increasing game coverts, shrubberies, or some of those trees and shrubs that cannot well and speedily be raised from cuttings or seed, layering will be found a convenient and cheap method. There are several other advantages too, as no protection of any kind is necessary, and the risk of loss is reduced to a minimum. It is, however, generally resorted to as a means of increasing such plants as cannot readily be raised from cuttings, and applies with greatest force to the rhododendrons and azaleas, the magnolias, coniferæ of various kinds, and several species of our hardy deciduous trees. The operation of layering is very simple, and consists merely in bending down the outer branch of a tree or shrub and bringing it in contact with the soil, it being there held in position by means of a hooked peg. Before fastening the layer with the peg, it is well, however, to remove a portion of the bark from that part of the layer that is to be brought in contact with the ground, this arresting the flow of sap and hastening the formation of roots. The soil beneath the tree or shrub should be first loosened, and, if found hard and stiff, a small quantity of sand and leaf soil might with advantage be added. The same principle is carried out in all kinds of layering, but the position of the plant will alter the method of bending over and bringing in contact with the soil. In the case of layering coniferæ it is not only necessary to bend over and peg down the branch, but, so as to form a leader and assist in gaining an upright position, it should also be tied or staked in a vertical position. Generally speaking, trees and shrubs require two years before the branches that are layered are sufficiently well rooted to be removed from the parent, but a few kinds require nearly double that time before they can be severed with safety. A good plan is, after the second or third year, to cut through the layered branch behind the point that is brought in contact with the ground, and to let it remain in position for another year. It may then, except in a very few cases, be lifted and lined out with others in the nursery border, the object being to get it into a good habit of growth before being finally planted out. Most varieties of trees and shrubs can readily be increased by layering the side branches in the way above described, and it is a good plan to cover over with a spadeful of earth that part of the branch brought in contact with the ground.