PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES 39 



with dwarf plants a perfect forest of suckers may 

 seriously weaken the plant before they are noticed. 



SEEDS. These can be sown at almost any time, 

 but the spring is the best, as those which germinate 

 quickly have time to form strong young plants before 

 the following winter. Some take two years to come 

 up, and should be left in the ground. This refers 

 more to seeds sown outdoors, and few hardy trees 

 and shrubs require heat to assist germination. When 

 sown in the open the beds should be made on a 

 fairly rich, moist piece of ground, protected from 

 cold winds, but fully exposed to the sun. After the 

 seeds are sown, cover them with light tiffany shading, 

 fir branches, or heather, but the first is best, as it 

 is easily removed to attend to the bed. Conifers 

 especially should be sown in beds, whether indoors 

 or outdoors, as pot-culture results in the roots taking 

 the shape of the pot, and never afterwards recovering 

 from their cramped condition. It must be remem- 

 bered, however, that varieties cannot be depended 

 upon to come true from seed, though by careful 

 selection for a few years many varieties will almost 

 reproduce the characteristics of the parents. Hy- 

 brids, such as Berberis slenophylla, Hypericum moseri- 

 anum, and many others, also do not come true from 

 seed, so that cuttings, layers, or division of the old 

 plants, must be the practice chosen. 



SUCKERS. Plants which throw up suckers from 

 the base, or below the ground-line, are easily pro- 

 pagated by detaching these suckers in winter with 

 a portion of root. They will grow away readily, 



