MARCH.] THE NURSERY. 263 



The fiiosfiyros -virginiana, persimmon, or American date plum, 

 is best cultivated from seed sown in autumn, soon after ripe, or in 

 March ; if kept up till spring, some of them will not vegetate till 

 the second year after sowing. 



Chesnuts, Walnuts, Hickories and Oaksi 



About the middle of this month, plant the nuts of the European 

 and American eatable chesnuts, also of the horse chesnut, and like- 

 wise of the different varieties of walnuts and hickeries, which you 

 wish to propagate. All the above kinds should be sown in drills, 

 first throwing the nuts into a tub of water, and rejecting such of 

 them as swim, covering them with light rich mould about two 

 inches deep. The drills may be three feet asunder, and the nut8 

 planted about six or eight inches from one another in the rows. 



The different varieties of oak succeed best, when sown imme- 

 diately after being ripe ; but in that case, they have to encounter 

 the depredations of mice, squirrels. Sec. to avoid which, they may 

 be kept in earth or sand till this time ; but as most of them will be 

 sprouted, you are to take them carefully up, without breaking 

 the radicles, and plant them in drills two feet asunder, covering the 

 acorns not more than three quarters, or at most an inch deep, with 

 light loose mould. 



The whole of the above kinds may remain in these seed drills for 

 two years, keeping them at all times very free from weeds ; and as 

 they are generally, but more particularly the walnut kinds, subject 

 to push down long tap-roots, and not to form many lateral ones, it 

 will be proper, nay it will be necessary, in order to insure success 

 in transplanting, when they have had one or two year's growth, to 

 open, in the spring, a small trench close to each row, and then, 

 with a very sharfi spade, to cut the descending roots about six or 

 eight inches under ground, casting back the earth when done. This 

 will cause them to throw out a number of laterals, and the spring 

 following you can transplant them with safety into nursery rows, at 

 greater distances, to remain till wanted to plant out, where finally in- 

 tended. 



Robinia^ or Locust Tree. 



The Robinia Pseudo-dcaria, or common locust-tree, is said to be 

 superior to any other kind of wood, for ship tunnels, mill cogs, and 

 fence posts, as well as for various other purposes. Its culture is 

 very easy, as it may be propagated in great abundance, by collecting 

 the seeds in autumn when ripe, preserving them dry till March, 

 then sowing them in a bed of good sandy loam, which is their fa- 

 vourite soil, and covering them half an inch deep. They will come 

 up in the course of the following month numerously, for no seeds 

 grow more freely, notwithstanding what some unexperienced per- 

 sons assert to the contrary. They require no preparation what-^ 

 ever ; sow them as above directed, and a good crop is certain. 

 When a year old, transplant them out of the seed-bed into nursery 



