THE PINE AND FIR FAMILY. 



263 



cloches must be used. If in the open air, however, the opera- 

 tion must be deferred until the sap commences to move in the 

 spring. Nearly all the species and varieties of Picea and Pinus 

 are best propagated from grafts when seeds are not to be had. 

 The Silver Fir, Abies (Picea} pectinata, is an excellent stock 

 for all the finer varieties. The numerous species of Pinus 

 grow well on stocks of the different types which they most 

 nearly resemble. For example, those species and varieties 

 which resemble the common Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris) 



Conifer Graft (Pinus) inserted. 



grow well on that species as a stock, but still better on P. 

 austriaca ; while P, monticola or P. Lambertiana and their 

 allies do better on P. excelsa or on the Weymouth Pine (P. 

 strobus). P. Pinaster is a good stock for P. Lemoniana and 

 allied kinds. Cupressus Lawsoniana, which is readily propa- 

 gated from seed, and is of clean habit, forms an excellent 

 stock for the dwarf, dense, or variegated forms of Lawson's 

 Cypress. Keteleeria Fortunei, This plant when first intro- 

 duced bore female flowers only, but in 1875 ma l e flowers 

 were also borne on the original specimen in the possession of 



