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178 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



Early Prolific, a seedling from Precoce de Tours. These are instances of artificial cross- 

 breeding having good results, and this method should he practised for raising superior 

 varieties. Care must be taken to prevent self-fertilisation, by enveloping the flowers in 

 gauze bags. Remove all the stamens before the pollen is ripe and apply the farina of 

 the desired variety carefully to the stigmas. 



Propagation by seeds is the ordinary method followed to provide stocks for budding 

 and grafting. The Mussel is generally employed for standards ; St. Julien and White 

 Pear plum for other forms of trees, and these are raised by layers or suckers from stools, 

 but those raised from seed are less liable to produce suckers. The Myrobalan plum also 

 is used as a stock (seepage 112, Yol. I.). The stones may be sown when taken from the 

 fruit, or stratified in sand till early in the spring, sowing them in rich sandy soil in drills 

 3 inches deep, allowing an inch between the stones, and the drills 9 inches apart. The 

 seedlings will be ready for transplanting by the following autumn and strong enough 

 to bud or graft in the third year. 



Suckers. Plum trees, as a rule, produce too many of these, and it is not advisable 

 , encourage them by employing suckers of the common kinds for stocks from the pre- 

 disposition of such to produce them. It is, however, an easy way of obtaining stocks. 



Layers. Trees raised by this method produce fibrous roots, and have been recom- 

 mended for pot culture. It is only necessary to bend a branch down to the ground, 

 partially cut it through on the under side below a bud, peg it about 3 inches in the 

 ground, keep moist, and detach the following autumn, afterwards treating as separate 

 trees. To prevent the pushing of suckers the buds on the part placed in the soil must 

 be carefully cut out. 



Budding. July is the best season for performing this most desirable method of per- 

 petuating and increasing esteemed varieties. Care must be taken to use well-developed 

 buds, and to operate when the bark parts freely from the wood ; also to insert wood buds 

 only. Shield budding is the most approved mode (see Vol. I., pages 115 120). The 

 buds are best inserted about 6 inches from the ground, and even for standards the scion 

 should be allowed to make its own stem. 



Grafting. The scions must contain wood buds and be taken off in December or 

 January, keeping them in earth behind a north wall or fence until the sap rises in the 

 stocks, as will generally be the case early in March, sooner or later according to season. 

 At that time the stocks should be headed down near to where the scions are to be 

 attached. Either whip or cleft grafting may be practised, but there is less danger of gum 



