1869.] CULTIVATION OF HARDY FRUITS. 497 



The French leave this over till spring. Seeing how much better, 

 however, is their climate for germination and after- progress, they 

 may and do produce as good, if not better, stocks than we do by this 

 method. By our sowing in November^ the seeds become soft and 

 ready to burst ere the spring, so that the young seedling has got a 

 greater length of time to grow and perfect its wood than if only 

 freshly planted in spring. A nice bed, according to the quantity of 

 seed about to be sown, ought to be prepared early in November. It 

 should be made nice and rich by the introduction of leaf-mould and old 

 mushroom-dung ; and if the soil is of a stiff clayey nature, sand or some 

 other cutting material should also be introduced. The drills ought 

 to be about 1 foot apart, and from 2 to 3 inches deep, according to 

 the sizes of the seed. Into these drills the seeds may be deposited at 

 distances of about 3 inches apart. By the month of September follow- 

 ing, the greater part of the young plants will be ready for transplant- 

 ing out into nursery-lines. When this operation is being performed 

 the roots may be shortened considerably, and the top of the young 

 shoot cut back to the first firm, plump, and ripe bud. They may be 

 planted out into lines 2 feet apart and 1 foot between each plant in 

 the line. Here they may remain with no other attention until the 

 following season, except having the soil regularly kept clean and free 

 from weeds. If, however, there should be any nice strong shoots 

 which it may be desirous to keep for working at standard height, these 

 ought now to be selected and trained up by a stake in the manner 

 already described when treating of the Pear. The following autumn they 

 ought all again to be transplanted, having their roots thoroughly cut 

 back, as already directed, and replanted in the same manner and at 

 the same distances as recommended for the Pear at the same stage — 

 viz., 2 feet. 



Where new varieties of the Plum are wanted, we would in this, as in 

 all other cases, recommend that all the flowers intended to pro- 

 duce seeds for young trees ought to be regularly impregnated, 

 making the selection of parents the primary object, choosing a 

 female of a strong healthy and hardy constitution free from all 

 sorts of diseases ; to cross with this, the male parent should pos- 

 sess at least flavour, but if flavour, size, health, and constitution 

 can all be obtained in one, so much the better. We would further 

 recommend every precaution to be used to avert any probability 

 of impregnation from any unknown source. For full particulars 

 regarding this, we refer the reader to our article upon the Pear, 

 where he will find this more fully explained. The stones must 

 be saved, and sown at the same time as if they were intended for 

 stocks, and receive the same attention with regard to root-pruning, 



