SELECT LISTS OF PLANTS. 261 



years. Where there is no danger of the nuts being disturbed by vermin, 

 or of the soil becoming packed and hard during the winter, the nuts 

 may be planted out in rows as soon as gathered in autumn, but my pre- 

 ference is for spring planting in a recently-plowed and freshly-prepared 

 bed for all kinds of nuts and seed. Propagating the Hickories by 

 budding and grafting has never been practised with any very great 

 success anywhere, and when I first published a description of and 

 named the Kale's Paper-shell Hickory-nut, in 1870, I doubt if there was 

 a grafted tree of tha Hiskory in this country. The making known the 

 existence of this unique and valuable variety, has prompted many 

 nurserymen and other persons to try their skill in grafting these trees, 

 and while their success has not been great, still grafted Hickory trees 

 are no longer unknown, or so very rare. The greatest success, thus far, 

 has been obtains 1 by grafting under glass, using small stocks that have 

 been growing at least one year in pots. For out-door grafting, and in 

 cool climates, terminal grafting is best, either using a splice without a 

 tongue, or by cutting away one side of the cion and thrusting it under 

 the bark at the apex or top of the stock. Wrap with Bass, and cover with 

 grafting clay, and over this a little moss, and then enclose the whole in a 

 hood male of oil paper, leaving it on until the cion shows unmistakable 

 signs of growth. The object of enclosing in oil paper is to prevent the 

 evaporation of moisture, and drying of the clay and cion. The wood or 

 twigs used for cions should be taken from the tree early in winter, and 

 buried in moist sand or packed in sphagnum, and stored in some cool 

 place, where they will remain in a perfectly dormant condition until they 

 are wanted for use. The grafting should not be done until the leaves 

 on the stocks have begun to open. The great difference in the 

 density of the sap of the stock and the cion will insure a rapid flow 

 into the latter. There is another mode of propagating the Hickory, 

 which may be practised when necessary to preserve or increase the 

 number of any choice or rare variety. This is done by exposing the 

 roots to light and air, thereby forcing them to produce buds and sprouts. 

 It is well known that Hickory roots, large or small, when exposed to the 

 light and air, will soon produce buds and sprouts on the exposed surface. 

 This tendency of Hickory roots to produce sprouts from adventitious 

 buds ma} r be taken advantage of in the propagation of valuable natural 

 varieties. The lateral surface roots, at some distance from the main 

 stem five, ten or twenty feet, according to the age and size of the tree- 

 should be expossd to the light and air early in spring, by removing the 

 soil above them for a space of two feet or more, and leaving them in 

 this condition the entire summer. Sometimes no sprouts will appear 

 the first season, and the exposure will need to be continued during the 

 succeeding one, or until they do appear. Then the main root on which 

 the sprouts have grown may be severed on the side nearest the stem of 

 the tree, and then carefully lifted and followed outward until enough 

 fibers or small roots are secured to ensure the life of the young tree 

 when transplanted. Better formed plants may be secured by allowing 



