PROPAGATION BY SEEDS. 67 



If this is not possible on account of the seeds having been 

 received too late, they should be soaked in water for two 

 or three days ; however, stratification is preferable. 



(D.) Sowing. The sowing is done in April* so that the 

 young- plants will not suffer from spring frosts. 



The seeds are buried about ^ inch deep in well-mellowed 

 and manured soil, or covered with from T V to $inch of loose 

 soil or sand if the soil is compact. They are planted in lines 

 1 to 2 feet apart, and every 6 inches on the lines. Experi- 

 ence has proved that the development during the first year 

 is proportionate to the distance between the plants. Finally, 

 it is advisable to cover the bed with a light mulching. 



(E.) Care. Watering every two or three days with a very 

 fine rose, and careful hoeing are necessary. The germina- 

 tion generally takes place a month after the sowing ; the 

 young plants are often very sensitive to the action of the 

 sun ; they must not be watered in the day time, and it is 

 even advisable to shelter them with canvas during the hot 

 hours of the day. 



(F.) Lifting. The seedlings of V. Riparia frequently 

 reach 4 to 5 feet in length the first year ; those of 

 V. ^Estivalis rarely exceed 18 inches to 2 feet. However, it 

 is necessary in both cases to lift them at the end of the 

 winter and plant them out, as they suffer if left longer in 

 the seed bed. 



(G.) Study and Utilization of Seedlings. When the object 

 of hybridization is to obtain new direct producers, the 

 florescence of the young seedlings should be forwarded as 

 much as possible so as to assist the study of their fertility 

 and the quality of their fruit. The time necessary for the 

 young seedlings to fructify has been greatly exaggerated. 

 Some Clinton seedlings produced fruit the third year at the 

 School of Agriculture, Montpellier, and most other seed- 

 lings fructify at the fourth or fifth year. Further, there are 

 different means of forwarding fructification : layering, 

 inarching, annular incision, or ligature of a long rod pre- 

 served for the following year, or still better, grafting a bud 

 of a young seedling on an old stump. Generally the fruit 



Corresponding to October in Victoria. 

 E ^ 



