PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 133 



the soil be very light and porous, cherry seeds may be 

 sown as soon as gathered ; if the contrary, it should be 

 deferred until spring ; but they germinate early, and at a 

 low temperature, so that it is necessary to keep them 

 pretty dry and cool, and get them into the ground at the 

 earliest practicable moment. We find it quite difficult to 

 keep them properly, and yet prevent them from germi- 

 nating before the ground is dry enough to receive them. 



How to Plant. For cherry seeds the ground should be 

 light, in a good, fertile state, but not strongly manured. 

 The seeds are sown in drills, as recommended for apple 

 and pear seeds; and so thin as to give each plant space to 

 grow in, without being crowded by others. In this way, 

 and with clean summer culture, the stocks will all be 

 large enough, at the end of the first season's growth, to be 

 taken up and prepared for planting in nursery rows the 

 following spring. 



4th. Stocks for the Peach. As a general thing, the 

 peach is worked on its own stocks in this country. The 

 stones should be stratified during the winter, by being 

 placed in boxes, with alternate layers of sand, or light 

 earth, and be kept in a situation exposed to the frost ; 

 unless this is done, they will not germinate the following 

 spring ; they require more moisture and exposure to open 

 their hard shells, and induce germination, than any other 

 fruit seeds. They should be examined a week or two 

 before planting time, and if they exhibit no signs of vege- 

 tation, more moisture should be given them ; if they have 

 been kept dry for a month or two before being stratified, 

 they may require to be cracked. Nurserymen have an 

 instrument for this purpose, resembling nut-crackers, 

 which operates with great rapidity. When cracked, 

 they may be mixed with moist earth, and germinated in 

 a warm place. The growth of every one so germinated 

 can be depended on, and tho rows will be regular. As 

 the seeds are planted where the trees remain until trans- 



