PROPAGATION BY SEEDS. 37 



in the annual wood are full and prominent, generally 

 prove more productive than those whose buds are small 

 and seemingly shrunk into the bark. Early flowering 

 and hardy blossoms are desirable characters. It has 

 been observed, that even after a seedling tree has com- 

 menced bearing, its fruit has a tendency to improve as 

 the tree itself acquires vigor, so that, if, in the first 

 season, there is any considerable promise, a great me- 

 lioration may be expected in succeeding years. 



The slowness with which seedlings reach the bearing 

 state has been the subject .of complaint among horti- 

 culturists, and indeed is the principal reason why this 

 mode of propagation has not been more frequently 

 practiced. According to Mr. Knight, the pear requires 

 from twelve to eighteen years to reach the age of pu- 

 berty ; the apple from five to twelve or thirteen years; 

 the plum or cherry four or five ; the vine three or 

 four ; the raspberry two years. The peach he found 

 to bear in two, three, or four years. The period, 

 however, must depend greatly on the soil, situation, 

 and mode of culture. In the warm and highly- 

 manured garden of M. Van Mens at Brussels (called 

 Pepiniere de la Fidelite, 1816), seedling pear-trees 

 produced fruit in considerable quantities in the sixth 

 and seventh summers. The great means of accele- 

 rating the epoch of bearing seems to be, to make the 

 trees grow vigorously when young. Crude manures 

 are indeed to be avoided ; but vegetable earth, and, 

 above all, a liberal supply of rotted turf, are whole- 

 some and excellent stimulants. The seed-bed, and 

 the ground on which the seedlings are transplanted, 

 should be extremely well worked and comminuted 



with the spade, and should not be too much exposed 



4* 



