EARLY MODES OF CULTUEE. 23 



four pieces, and tlien to thrash them till the seeds 

 dropped out. Another, and at least an easier, if not a 

 better method, was to prepare the plant bed, and to sow 

 the cones in their whole and unbroken state, allowing 

 nature to do the rest — which, it is needless to say, was 

 not very satisfactory. Another system was to sow 

 the cones thickly, or rather sjoread them upon the 

 ground, and cover them with a few inches of earth, 

 till they became tender and partially rotten, when the 

 earth was removed, and, after lying in the sun or 

 drying wind for a few days, were raked about, and the 

 seed allowed to drop out, when part was allowed to 

 remain where it was, and part removed to another bed, 

 and covered to remain to germinate. Besides these 

 methods, others were adopted, such as planting the 

 cones in the ground by means of dibbles at the dis- 

 tances the plants would have been put in. 

 . Marshall says : " Let the seeds be sown in beds a 

 quarter of an inch deep. In the spring, when the 

 plants appear, they should be refreshed with water in 

 dry weather, and carefully kept clean from weeds 

 during the whole summer. By the autumn they will 

 not have shot more than an inch or two ; and in spring 

 they should be pricked out in beds about three inches 

 asunder. The spring following, they must be taken 

 out of the beds with care, and planted in the nursery 

 ground, three feet asunder in the rows, and two feet 

 distance ; and here they may remain until they are fit 

 to be planted out finally, which will be about the 

 second or third vear after." 



