SELECTING AND IMPROVING PLANTS IN CULTURE. 403 



heat nor made to vegetate by moisture ; but some seeds which are apt soon 

 to lose their vitality, such as the acorns of American oaks, may be packed 

 in moist moss, in which they will germinate during the voyage ; but if 

 planted in soil as soon as they arrive, they will suffer little injury. Nuts 

 and other large seeds may probably preserve their vitality by being allowed 

 to germinate in masses of moderately dry soil, as Mr. Knight suggested 

 might be done with the seeds of the mango. The roots or root-ends of 

 plants or cuttings are enveloped in a ball of clayey loam, wrapped up in moist 

 moss, or in the case of cuttings or scions of ligneous plants, stuck into a 

 potato, turnip, or apple, and sent to any distance ; or, as already observed 

 ( 676), they may be inclosed in moistened brown paper, or wrapped up in oiled 

 paper, and sent by post. Mr. Knight found that shoots containing buds of 

 fruit-trees might be preserved in a vegetating state, and sent to a consider- 

 able distance, by reducing the leaf-stalks to a short length, and inclosing the 

 shoot in a double-fold of cabbage-leaf, bound close together at each end, and 

 then inclosing the package in a letter. " It was found advantageous to 

 place the under-surface of the cabbage-leaf inwards, by which the inclosed 

 branch was supplied with humidity, that being the perspiring surface of the 

 leaf, the other surface being nearly or wholly impervious to moisture." 

 (Hort. Trans., vol. iv., p. 403.) 



860. Packing fruits and flowers. Firm fruits, such as the apple and 

 pear, and flowers either in a growing state in pots, or cut for nosegays, are 

 easily packed ; but grapes, peaches, strawberries, &c., are with more diffi- 

 culty sent to a distance without being injured. To pack such fruit, and also 

 the more delicate flowers,, a box is suspended within a box, in such a manner 

 that the inner case can never touch the outer one. This mode is " found 

 better than any other for insuring the safe transport of delicate philosophical 

 instruments, and is equally adapted to ripe fruit. Having packed the fruit 

 in an inner case with soft cotton, or whatever may be deemed best for the 

 purpose, let that inner case be suspended within an outer one by lines or 

 cords. Suppose, for instance, that the outer case is two or three inches 

 clear all round the inner case, and the eight cords proceeded from the eight 

 outer corners of the one, and were fastened to the eight internal corners of 

 the other case. In this way, whatever side was uppermost, the inner case 

 would be suspended from the four upper cords, the four lower ones serving 

 only to steady it and to prevent its swinging against the outer case. If 

 the whole be turned upside down, the functions of the cords become 

 reversed, so that they must all be strong enough to perform either office, 

 about which, however, there is no difficulty. A still better plan, for those 

 who have frequently very choice specimens of fruit to transmit, would be 

 to insulate the inner case by spiral springs, with the additions of small por- 

 tions of felt or woollen cloth, to limit the vibrations ; the springs would 

 be very cheaply made, and would avoid the repeated trouble of packing or 

 tying ; but the cords will do extremely well." (Gard. Chron., vol. i., 

 p. 485.) 



XX. Selecting and improving Plants in Culture. 



861. All the plants in cultivation that are remarkable for their value as 

 culinary vegetables, fruits, or flowers, are more or less removed from their 

 natural state ; and the three principal modes by which this has been effected, 

 are, increasing the supply of nourishment, selection from seedlings, or acci- 



