APPLE. 171 



Apple, continued. 



box is set upon benches, and a good stream of water 

 is carried into it at the upper end. A bushel or two of 

 pomace is emptied in at a time, and it is broken and 

 stirred with a fork or shovel.. When the seeds are liber- 

 ated, they fall to the bottom and the refuse runs over the 

 lower end, Another box is provided with several cleats, 

 at intervals of about a foot, and the ends are left open. 

 The box is set at an angle, and the seeds are caught 

 behind the cleats. Seeds must not stand long in the 

 pomace pile, or they will be seriously injured. Nursery- 

 men like to secure the pomace as soon as it is taken from 

 the press. 



As soon as the seeds are collected, they should be 

 spread upon tables or boards, and should be frequently 

 turned until perfectly dry. They may then be stored in 

 boxes in slightly damp sand or sawdust, or in powdered 

 charcoal, and kept in a cool and dry place until spring. 

 Or if they are to be sown immediately, they need not be 

 dried, but simply mixed with enough dry sand to absorb 

 the water so as to make them easy to handle. Seeds 

 should not be allowed to become hard and dry through 

 long exposure to the air, or they will germinate unevenly. 

 Apple seeds procured at the seed stores are often worth- 

 less because of this neglect. Very dry seeds can some- 

 times be grown, however, by subjecting them to repeated 

 soakings, and then sprouting in a gentle hotbed or mild 

 forcing-house. Change the water on the seeds every day, 

 and at the end of a week or ten days mix with sand and 

 place in a thin layer in the hotbed. Stir frequently to pre- 

 vent molding. When the seeds begin to sprout, sow them 

 in the open ground. This operation, which is sometimes 

 called pipping, may be performed in a small way near 

 the kitchen stove. Seeds are sometimes " pipped" be- 

 tween moist blankets. (See also page 17.) 



When sowing is done in the fall, the seeds may be sown 

 in the pomace. This entails extra labor in sowing, but it 

 saves the labor of washing. This practice gives good 

 results if the pomace is finely broken, and it is now com- 

 mon among nurserymen. 



In loose and well-drained soils, sowing is undoubtedly 

 best performed in the fall, just as early as the seeds are 

 ready. But upon land which holds much water, and 

 which heaves with frost or contains much clay, spring 

 sowing is preferable. In spring, the seeds should be sown 

 just as soon as the ground can be worked. 



