PROPAGATION. 77 



depth of one foot, dig-g-ing in at the same time a liberal 

 supply of sand. The surface of the bed must be broken 

 up fine and carefully raked over. Draw out your drills 



as soon as the seed is ready nine inches apart and half 

 an inch deep. Sow your seed thickly half an inch to 

 three-quarters of an inch apart, for only a quarter of 

 the sowing can be expected to germinate, and then 

 only a portion of this the first year. Having covered 

 in the drills, level and beat down firm with the back of 

 a spade, and then when the soil is dry give a good 

 watering with a rose. 



For your future interest, all seed from the various 

 seed-pods should be labelled. This will be a useful 

 guide when the seeds appear as to the possibility of a 

 new variety. Many growers as soon as the seed-pods 

 are ripe gather them and presen-e them in damp sand 

 until the early spring, but I think it wisest to sow at 

 once, and when you have crushed the pods and ex- 

 tracted the seed sow in the ordinary course as Nature 

 would dictate. Seed sown in January or February 

 should germinate in April, and if protected from late 

 frost will make early plants for careful lifting and 

 potting up, or they can be grown on in the seed-bed 

 until buds or grafts can be secured. 



Before, or at the first signs of a seedling making 

 its appearance, dust the whole bed over with soot or 

 lime to clear the surface of slugs and wood-lice. This 

 is most essential, as these marauders have a great 

 liking for the tender stalks and leaves. 



It is wisest at the sowing time to put up a light 

 framework of pegs and cross sticks, over which mats 

 can be thrown during hard frost and cold cutting 

 winds. It is best to let the seed-pods remain upon 

 the parent trees as long as possible, even until they 

 fall off, or are ready to do so. Birds are the only 

 danger, but these can easily be warded off with black 

 cotton stretched between two or three sticks placed 

 round the tree. After germination the seedlings grow 

 fast, and will need constant care as to shading and 



