CON 



163 



CON 



sufficient strength to omit roots before water at first; for much depends upon 

 the winter, and consequently perish j the use made of water, at this period, 



during that season, when only callous, and the treatment given to them, when 



If wood of two or three years' growth in this state, (that is, when the young 



be taken, it will be found'hardy enough plant has exhausted the nourishment 

 to stand the winter, and with the aid of supplied by the seed, and has to seek 

 artificial heat, in the spring will root j subsistence from its own roots ;) after 



freely." — Gard. Chron. which there is little danger of their 



By Seed. — The same excellent au- damping off, except they are over 



thority gives these directions relative watered. When the plants are fairly 



to propagating the conifene from seed, up, and a little hardened, they may be 



'•' The cones should be gathered at potted off singly, into small pots, filled 



the beginning of winter: they should with a mixture of loam and sandy peat, 



be placed in some cool but dry place, If the loam is rather poor or stiff, a 



until the end of March, at which time little leaf-mould may be added; for the 



the seeds should be taken out of the bad efTects of the two latter substances 



cones; which in some cases is difficult, seem only to occur during the time the 

 without injuring them, particularly if young plant received its support from 



they are kiln-dried, as the seeds are 

 easily damaged by fire heat. The 

 cones of some kinds are so hard — of 

 Cocarpa, for example — that it would 

 take weeks on the kiln before they 



the seed. 



" When potted, they should be 

 placed in a close pit or frame for a few 

 days, until they recover the effects of 

 the shift, and afterwards air must be 



would open. The safest way is to bore | freely admitted ; but water given rather 

 a hole through the centre, beginning at sparingly at first. They will require 

 the base, or stalk, and afterwards to little trouble afterwards, but probably 

 drive a round jjiece of hard wood, may want shiiting into larger pots in 

 through the hole, which will split the the autumn, (particularly the strong 

 cones. The seeds may then be re- ] growing kinds,) as it is injurious to 

 moved without injury. If the kinds are their future growth for their roots to 

 new or rare, they should be sown in get pot-bound when young. The more 

 pans filled with dry sandy loam, and rare or tender kinds should not be 

 without any mixture, of cither peat, planted out before the third season ; 

 leaf mould, or rotten dung; all of i but the commoner ones may be planted 

 which are injurious, and cause the out after the first year, 

 young plants to damp off when they " The common kinds, such as the 

 first come up, more especially if it Scotch fir, larch, spruce, and silver firs, 

 should be damp weather at the time Pinaster, Stone, and Weymouth seeds, 

 they appear above ground. If the ' and even the Deodar, and Cedar of 

 loam is a little stiff, a small portion of Lebanon may be sown in the open 

 sand may be used ; but this must be border with great advantage in the tbl- 

 avoided as much as possible, because lowing manner : — select a good fresh 

 the more sand there is in the soil the loamy soil which is not stiff, but rather 

 weaker the plants come up. If they sandy, and about the end of March dig 

 are in a doubtful condition, sow the and break the surface rather finely ; 

 seeds in pans filled with very dry loam, then mark the ground out into beds 

 and place them in some dry situation, about four feet wide, leaving an alley 

 out of the reach of damp, they will then of a foot wide between each bed ; and 

 not be injured ; whereas if they were on some fine dry day sow the seeds 

 not placed in dry soil, they would be broadcast rather thickly, covering them 

 sure to perish, or if sown in damp over from a quarter to half an inch 

 soil, the like destruction would attend deep, according to the size of the 

 them. seeds; then smooth the surface by 



" When spring advances, place the gently beating it with the back of the 



pans in a gentle, but by no means damp 

 heat; taking care, however, to remove 

 them to a much cooler place, before 

 the young plants are fairly above 

 ground, and afterwards harden them 

 off by degrees, giving them but little 



spade ; — (this must only be done if the 

 soil is dry, and rather light.) They 

 will then require no other care except 

 keeping them from weeds, and the at- 

 tacks of birds, mice, and slugs, which 

 are very destructive to them, when 



