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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1887. 



•ary, aad even injurious, for the root, of its own 

 power, plunges i^st If downwards, and the stem pro- 

 gresses upwards trom a common atartiug point, which 

 IS the seed itself, henco the re-ult ot burying a seed 

 too deeply is, te ct'ver a portion of tlie lower pari 

 of stem ot the plant, which we know from experience 

 to be inimical to its future welfare. 



Some objection may be taken to this, when taking 

 into account the gt-rmiuauou of the Leguixiiuo>oe and 

 other plants which r-»i.-e the.r cotyleiOns or seed-kave* 

 about the grouud, but such will be found to be 

 groundl<"SS, when it is considered, that although the 

 •eed-leaves are raist d above the surface, they are so 

 raised from the exnct spot at which germination took 

 place, and it is at this point that the differentiation 

 between stem and root commeucee. 



Seeds germinate also very unwillingly and slowly if 

 buried too deep, for it is necessary that a certain 

 communication with the atmosphere should be pro- 

 Tided, if the process is to be maintained in hf-althy 

 state, they are known to possess a large proportion 

 of carbon, in proportion to their weigkt, than any 

 other part of a plant, while they r.-main charged to 

 a full extent with this element, they are not in posi- 

 tion to put forth their dormant germinative powers. 

 To rid themselves of this principal, a supply of oxygen 

 is necessary to convert the carbon into carbonic acid, 

 and thus enable the seed to grow, the necessary 

 amount of oxygen being principally obtained from 

 water, and the surrounding atmosphere. 



There are noticeable instances, especially in the 

 tropics, of seeds taking a very long time to germinate, 

 and these are mostly found to possess a very harii 

 outer coating, which requires to be partially removed 

 to procure speedy germination. In a natural state 

 this is accomplished, by various agencies, but principally 

 by the action of water, which softens it and enables 

 the embryo to attract a proportion to itself sufficient 

 for the purpose, development. lb is well however, 

 when seeds of this kind are to be raised, to uss 

 artificial means to allow of this absorption of moisture 

 by the inner portion of the seed and this may usually 

 be accomplished by removing a part of the testa or 

 outer covering with a knife or file. During my ex- 

 perience in Jamaica I ^^had certain native seeds under 

 my care, which were sown in the usual way, but after 

 waiting for some twelve months, they had failed to 

 germinate and I determined to try the process of 

 removing a portion of their outer covering. I found 

 on trying to cut it, that it resisted the efforts of a 

 strong knife, and I therefore procured a file and with 

 it removed a suitable portion taking care not to cut 

 deep enough to injure the dormant embryo. Though 

 it had laid in moist earth for the many previous 

 months without growing, in about fourteen days after 

 the operation they had developed into plants. In 

 numerous instances since, I have followed the same 

 practice and with similar results. When seeds are 

 ■own thickly the plants are apt to become " drawn." 

 In their search for light, the plants have a tendency 

 to unduly develope their stem in a perpendicular 

 direction, instead of becoming sturdy and 8tiong,^aad 

 the same action takes place when seeds are sown in 

 ■n undulyishaded position. In such cases they are 

 rendered very susceptible to the attacks of Microscopic 

 Fuugii, and are also very easily injured when water 

 is applied, unless the process is conducted with the 

 greatest care. It is always best therefore if the 

 room can be spared, to sow the seed very thinly, so 

 as to avert these contingent disadvantages, but in 

 case we are restricted in regard to room they may 

 be thickly sown if, as soon as they are Inrge enough 

 to handle, the plants are ' pnck^d off' into other soil 

 at wider distances apart. 'Pricking off' consists in 

 carefully raising the plants, one by one, by pUciiig 

 a small stick or other instrument beneath the rootK, 

 carefully raising them, and then dibbling them into 

 holes at proper distances, shading them for a few 

 days uiitil they recover from the check due to the 

 transplanting. 



Seedlings should always be 'pricked off' at some 

 •tage or other, and not left to dcvelope thi^msplve.s ia 

 (be ori^iual eeod bed uutil large enough for final 



potting or transplanting, for if this operation is per- 

 formed they will become much more sturdy, and more 

 easily lifted, than if left with their roots straggling 

 and iotertwiuing in their first position — until required 

 to be placed iu their permaueut quarters. The oper- 

 ation tends to develop, a larger quai.tity of fibrous 

 roots, than would otherwise be ihe case, and these 

 are the feeders which supply nutrimcRt to plants in 

 greater proportion, than the single and larger roots 

 which would be developed if the operation was not 

 performid. In Briti^h nurseries where plants have to 

 be kept in large quantities from year to year, it is 

 the pr«ctice to regulirly transplant at certain intervals 

 — dependent upon the nature of the plant — all kinds 

 of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, and this is 

 done, so that the loss of plants consequent upon re- 

 moval may be reduced to a minimum. Tnat it does 

 retard and prevent growth is well understood, and is au 

 advantage in the cultivation of certain classes of plants 

 and fruit trees; but when planted in their permanent 

 quarters it h>iS, otherwise, no prejudicial effect. Oul- 

 tivdtors, therefore, need not fear periodic transplant- 

 ing, if the operation is performed with care, and 

 with suflicient frequency, as it will enable them to 

 maintain a stock of young plants such as oranges, 

 etc., until times when the ground they are intended 

 to permanently occupy ia fully prepared for them. 

 If the system of frequent transplanting when in their 

 younger stage of growth, be followed with such plants as 

 the orange, they can be finally planted with gre.iter dis- 

 regard for seasons, than could possibly be the case, when 

 other systems are followed. 



Although it is the general nature of a seed to re- 

 produce the species to which it belongs, it cannot be 

 railed upon in ordinary cases, to renew a particular 

 variety, yet there is always a tendency to produce a 

 plant more like the parent, than any other form of 

 the species. For instance the seed of a Number 

 Eleven Mango cannot always be relied to produce a 

 Number Eleven, but it will produce a mango of some 

 kind. The special property of producing a particular 

 variety is confined to leaf buds, and seems to be owing to 

 the seed not being specially organised after the ex- 

 act plan of the branch on which it grew, but merely 

 possessing the elements of such organisation. Hence 

 cultivators should not rely upon seeds for the pro- 

 duction pf special varieties, but should have recourse 

 to the simple operations of budding and grafting, or 

 propagat'ion by cuttings if they wish to perpetuate 

 any special variety. — Planter and Farmer. 



THE USE OF LIME IN AGEIOULTURE. 



During the past week the Government agricultural 

 chemist has suggested that the market gardeners about 

 Caulfield, Brighton and that neighbourhood, who have 

 for many years past been in the habit of applying to 

 their laud heavy dressings of stable manure, might 

 find it advantageous to stop the supply of manure for 

 some years, and use instead a small quantity of lime. 

 He basts his suggestion on the fact that the soils of 

 many of the rparket gardens have, owing to the 

 practice of heavy manuring, accumulated a great 

 amount of fertile material during the past years, and 

 that if the fertile ingredients could by any means be 

 rendered uiore accesstijle to the plants it might be un- 

 ucc ssary for some time to add to the store already 

 acciimuiateii. Lime, it is known, possesses the power 

 of liberating the ingredieLts locked up in the foil and 

 rendering them available for the immediate use of 

 plants. Hence it may be supposed that if lime were 

 added in a suitable manner to these soils, now so rich 

 iu manurial matter, a sufficient amount could be set 

 free year by year to serve for the growth of crops 

 without a furt*li'*r use of fresh manure. 



ThTe is undoubtedly reason iu the suggestion; an! 

 if good crops can be grown for a period without the 

 heavy cost of manuring, and without injury to ihi 

 soil, the gain will be very great. Nevertheless the 

 abundant use of manure is such an o!d established 

 practice amung.st the market gardeners of Victoria, 

 especially am 'ngst thos-^ who cuitivate the naturally 

 poor fandjr foils lying to the south of Melbourne, tbn 



