Book III. CULTURE OF A TREE-NURSERY. 981 



the light armed roller, here recommended. It is, however, much better when no such 

 are required. The surest way to guard against the need of such means, is to work the 

 land when it is in a proper condition, and to sow the seeds in such weather as that the 

 surface after sowing will be fully dry before rain come on. There is no dispensing with 

 this precaution, when it is wished to secure an equal and good crop of seedlings." {Plant. 

 Kal. 367.) 



7029. Birds. In May the pines and firs will begin to pierce the ground with the 

 husks of the seeds still on their tops, and then watching the birds becomes of the utmost 

 importance ; not one ought to be allowed to light on the beds ; to prevent which will 

 require unremitting attention from break of day till sunset, for five or six weeks, till the 

 plants are all up, and have thrown off their husks. After the nuts, mast, and haws have 

 come up, they are no longer in danger from mice, but they rrfay be attacked by snails, 

 and grubs of beetles and cockchaffers at their roots. These are to be hand-picked. 



7030. Watering and shading. In June severe droughts very often set in, and these are 

 very prejudical to small seeds, especially those of the resinous tribe, when rising through 

 the soil. At this time watering and shading may be applied with great advantage, pro- 

 vided the former is accompanied by the latter, and daily attended to from the time it is 

 commenced till rain falls. The best mode of shading is by the wattled hurdle. By the 

 end of July the seedling plants of most sorts will be out of danger, and excepting a few 

 of the tender sorts specified as requiring protection in winter, or by a hand-glass or cold- 

 frame, will require no other care but weeding till fit to be transplanted. 



Sect. VIII. Of propagating Trees by Layers, Cuttings, Suckers, Grafting, $c. 



7031. Layering is next to rearing from seeds the most general mode of propagating 

 hardy trees and shrubs. The more common species of forest trees to which this mode 

 is applicable, are the Acer Platanoides, pseudo-platanus, tartarieum, dasycarpum, 

 opalus, negundo, and other species ; Betula lenta, populifolia, and rubra ; Fagus fer- 

 ruginea ; Platanus occidentalis and orientalis ; Fopulus grseca, monolifera, and cane- 

 scens ; Tilia alba, americana, europsea, and pubescens ; and Ulmus campestris, ne- 

 moralis, and suberosa. Some of these, as the poplars and planes, are also propagated by 

 cuttings ; but layers make the strongest plants. Whenever seeds can be procured, how- 

 ever, it is best to propagate in that way, as likely to produce the largest trees. The other 

 trees propagated by layers, will be found in our Encyclopedia of Plants, and in the 

 arboricultural catalogue ; and also all the shrubs so propagated. The situations and dis- 

 tances for planting stools in the nursery have been already mentioned (6981.) ; and, as 

 there is nothing peculiar in the operation of layering timber-trees or shrubs, we have 

 merely to refer to the general directions as to layers and stools. (1993.) The young or 

 preceding year's shoots of all the sorts above enumerated, if layered in autumn or winter, 

 will be fit for being detached and planted in nursery lines by that time twelve months. 

 They should be transplanted into well comminuted soil, as far as practicable, suitable to 

 the nature of each ; the distances should be regulated by the size of the layers and the 

 time they are to be nursed. For ordinary purposes layers need not be nursed more than 

 two years ; but for single trees and ornamental plantations, they should be several times 

 removed, and close pruned, till they have attained six or eight feet in height. Evergreen 

 trees and shrubs, as being more tender than the others, should be layered in March and 

 April, and from August to October. Some sorts root most freely when the wood is in a 

 succulent state; and of such the current year's shoots are laid about midsummer. 

 This is practised with Stuartia, Arbutus, Andromeda, Kalmia, Azalea, Magnolia, 

 Alaternus, Phillyrea, Laurus nobilis and sassafras, Zanthoxylum, Fyrus japonica, &c. 

 The same practice is adopted with other free-growing sorts that it is wished to multiply as 

 rapidly as possible; as the Rosa (6546.), Hibiscus, Lonicera, Aristotelia, Mespilus, 

 &c. Layers of the last sorts made during summer from the same year's shoots, will be 

 fit to detach by the winter or the following spring ; of the other sorts seldom sooner than 

 the second August or autumn ; but even then a season is gained, as the layers of those 

 plants made in autumn, generally require to remain two years before they have made suf- 

 ficient roots. The layers of all evergreens should be removed at the proper seasons for 

 pruning, laying, or transplanting that tribe ; that is, in April and May, and in August 

 and September. 



7032. By cutting is the next most general mode of propagating trees and shrubs, and the 

 common forest trees generally so multiplied are as follow : Platanus occidentalis and 

 orientalis ; Populus angulata, balsamifera, dilatata, graeca, monolifera, nigra, pendula, 

 and trepida ; Salix all the tree species ; and Sambucus nigra. These are also propagated by 

 layers, and a few of them by seeds ; which last, it should never be forgotten, is by far the 

 best mode where timber-trees is the object. The numerous tribe of shrubs propagated by 

 cuttings, will be found in the Encyclopedia of Plants already referred to. 



7033. The manner of forming and planting cuttings has been already described. (2063.) The season 

 for deciduous and evergreen woody plants are the same as for layering ; and as in the latter mode ot 



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