Martha Alice Willoughby, age 11, of Madison, W. Virginia, for her question:

How many ways can plants be propagated?

Propagation means multiplication. We tend to think that the multiplication of living things springs from pairs of parents. In a general way, this is true. Most plants produce seeds that are female egg cells fertilized by male cells. But the world of living greenery has a variety of other methods for propagating new plants from old.

All life springs from life and every species of plant or animal develops from a member or members of its own species. A plant seed is a fertilized cell and it inherits a blueprint of directions from its ancestors. Its growing instructions are carried in the DNA chemical within the nucleus of the original cell. This chemical code is a unique set of traits inherited from both sides of the family tree. The seed of a sweet pea will grow a plant like its parents. But two red sweet peas may produce a plant bearing white blossoms. The surprising feature is inherited from a white blossomed ancestor.

But the lush green world does not depend solely upon seeds to hand on life. Many plants multiply by propagating other pieces of themselves. These new plants inherit the exact DNA pattern in the cells or roots of the original plants. Propagated plants are duplicates without variation. Many plants propagate themselves naturally. Gardeners and agriculturists know dozens of ways and hundreds of tricks to propagate perfect duplicates of their favorite plants.

Banana growers plant shoots from the roots of last year's trees and the shoots propagate new plantations. A similar method is used to propagate bamboos. These giant grasses have jointed stems and roots. If properly planted, a grassy joint will sprout both shoots and roots of its own. Lilies and many other plants can be duplicated from roots, tubers and other underground sections. Other plants favor layering. A low bough pf a rosemary bush can be nicked and anchored in the soil. When the wound sprouts roots, the bough can be severed to become a new plant. A similar method can be used on the high bough of a tree. The bark is stripped and the wound is packaged in moist moss. It is sealed from the air and in time it swells with a sprouting root system that can be severed from the tree and planted.

In fruit growing, grafting is a vital method of propagation. Seeds of choice fruit fail to become quality trees like their parents. And the choicest trees are often fragile. So a fruit grower selects a sturdy tree to provide a pamper free root system. He cuts down its young stem and onto this he grafts twigs taken from proven bearers of choice fruit. The two plant sections merge and grow together as one tree. It has the qualities of a sturdy root system and a bountiful spread of fruit bearing boughs.

This is by no means a complete list of plant propagation methods. From books on gardening and agriculture you can learn endless possibilities and detailed tricks proven successful with different plants. This is an interesting hobby for experimenters. Andy recently grew a pot of eye catching cactus type plants. His experiment began by sprink¬ling moist dirt on leaves fallen from a favorite plant. The leaves grew roots and leaves of their own, resulting in a potful of duplicates of the original favorite.