52 THE LARCH. 



One-year seedlings, is. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per looo. 



Two-year seedlings, 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. per 1000. 



One-year seedlings, one year transplanted, 6s. to 

 7s. 6d. per thousand. 



Two years transplanted plants, 9s. to 1 3s. per 1 000. 



In regard to the seed itself, it must not be gathered 

 until quite ripe, which is not till the leaves are fully 

 mellow and fall off; and in collecting the cones, it is 

 well to avoid gathering them from diseased or un- 

 healthy trees, or from very young trees ; but indeed an 

 error committed here is very speedily corrected by the 

 seeds being unsound and unfit for sowing, which the 

 nurseryman for his own sake tries to avoid. 



Mr. Gregor, who has had ample experience of seed 

 propagation, gives the following directions for it : — 



" To extract the seeds of larch safely and speedily, 

 the cone should be placed on a timber kiln. 'Brick or 

 metal covers are unsafe, and the cones should be heated 

 on wood. They should be laid on about six inches 

 thick. The temperature should be raised to 100° 

 Fall., but not above 1 1 0°. With this heat the cones 

 will be quite dry in about ten hours, during which 

 time they should be turned twice, and the seeds which 

 fall out at each turning should be immediately removed. 

 The heat may be kept at a lower degree, but in that 

 case the time for drying will require to be extended. 



" The vegetative powers of the larch seed cannot be 

 destroyed by a degree of heat considerably higher, but 

 even at a higher temperature very few of the seeds 

 escape from the cones. The object, therefore, of drying 



