PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 119 



a Dr. Bretonneau of Tours, France. He had succeeded 

 in producing very pretty dwarf plums and peach trees on 

 a dwarf plum indigenous to this country {Prunus jpmnila^ 

 He exhibited beautiful prolific dwarf trees of the green 

 gage plum on the sloe, and was making farther experi- 

 ments with the dwarf almond as a stock for peaches. 

 These subjects are all worthy of attention; we have many 

 experiments of this kind imder way, but it is yet too soon 

 to communicate the results. The art of growing a large 

 collection of fruits on a small spot of ground is of great 

 importance to curious and tasteful people living in tow^ns 

 and villages. 



Stocks for the Apricot and Nectarine. — Every thing 

 that has been said of peach stocks, applies with equal 

 force and propriety to these two trees. 



5. Stochs for the Plum. — It is not a little difficult in 

 this country to get good plum stocks. If seeds be taken 

 promiscuously from any variety that is to be had, as is 

 done wdth most other trees, the probability is, that of the 

 seedlino^s not one in 500 wdll be suitable for a stock. I 

 have seen bushels of seeds planted that were said to have 

 been collected from strong growing trees, but out of the 

 tens of thousands of seedlings produced from them, not 

 100 were ever worked, or fit to be. It is not only neces- 

 sary to obtain seeds from vigorous growing trees, but from 

 a species or variety that reproduces itself from seed. This 

 is the point. 



The Horse Pliim^ an oval, purple, free-stone sort, with 

 vigorous downy shoots, reproduces itself from seed, and 

 makes good stocks. On a suitable, well-prepared soil, its 

 seedlings often attain two feet or more in height in one 

 season, and are then fit for the nursery rows. Tliey require 

 a rich, substantial soil, prepared as recommended for pear 

 seeds. Other vigorous sorts have been recommended in 

 various parts of the country, but on trial they have been 



