Management of Nurseries. 137 



the common standard. Both of these stocks are raised by layers or 

 stools, and are commonly imported from Europe by nursery-men. 



The French quince, which is employed as a stock for working 

 such varieties of the pear as succeed well upon it to form dwarfs, is 

 obtained by stools, layers, and cuttings. When cuttings are planted 

 they should be made in autumn, about ten inches or a foot long, and 

 either planted out the same autumn or very early the following spring. 

 They should be set in a compact soil, the earth closely pressed 

 about them the tips projecting an inch or two above the surface. 

 They generally fail in a light or gravelly soil. If set out either in 

 autumn or spring they should be covered with an inch or two of fine 

 fresh manure. This protects them from the cold through winter, 

 and preserves the moisture of the ground in hot weather. Many of 

 them will take root and grow, and should be taken up in the follow- 

 ing autumn, and heeled in and covered, ready for setting out in the 

 nursery rows in spring. 



Planting Seeds. Seeds are usually planted in thick seed-beds for 

 the first year especially those of the apple, pear, plum, and cherry. 

 The ground should be rich, mellow, and in perfect condition. As a 

 general rule, the depth should be from three to five times the length 

 of the seed heavy soils requiring less depth than light ones. If 

 there is much clay the surface should receive a sprinkling about 

 half an inch thick of fine manure to prevent the formation of a crust. 

 The seedlings should not be so thick as to retard each other's 

 growth. The ground should be kept constantly mellowed through- 

 out the summer to promote as free a growth as possible. The seed- 

 lings should be taken up in autumn, and either heeled in or packed 

 in boxes with fine compact moss. Before setting out they should 

 be carefully assorted, so that a uniform size may be in each row and 

 no irregularities or gaps occur. Before setting out, the tap-roots 

 should be shortened and the tops reduced. All imperfect or doubt- 

 ful plants should be rejected, in order to save the useless labor of 

 transplanting those which will not grow or take the bud. 



Seedlings which have a single slender root, as the 

 apple, may be transplanted expeditiously with a dibble, 

 which may be easily made of an old spade-handle shod 

 with sharp iron as in the annexed cut, Fig. 173. The 

 ".oil being previously deep and mellow, this instrument 

 is thrust down by the side of the stretched line, finishing 

 the hole by a few slight lateral motions of the hand, then 

 thrusting in the seedling held in the left hand and press- Fi i- 73- 

 ing the earth very compactly about it with the same tool. Great 



