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stocks for budding or grafting, as it is well known in pear cul- 

 ture that no variety will re-produce itself from the seed. 

 Hence, the resort to artificial methods for propagation. The 

 first step to be taken towards this is, to select for seed the best 

 specimens when fully ripe, grown on sound, vigorous and 

 healthy trees ; when this is done, place the fruit in a box and 

 leave it until decay reduces it to a pulpy state, then wash out 

 the pulp and dry the seed by spreading it thin on a board and 

 turning it over occasionally, as you would any seed. If the 

 soil or ground is naturally dry, deep and rich, the best time to 

 plant the seed is in the fall, in drills three feet apart. This 

 distance will admit of going between them to keep the soil 

 pliable and mellow when the plants are up. When the drill is 

 made, open it with a hoe about five inches wide and three deep, 

 then drop the seed and draw over it with the hoe the fine pul- 

 verized earth as evenly as it can possibly be done. A top 

 dressing of decomposed stable manure, or partly decayed 

 leaves, to the depth of an inch or so, should be applied. This 

 will prevent the surface in early spring from baking or crack- 

 ing, which vvill help the plants to come up readily, strong and 

 vigorous. The covering on the seed should not be too deep, 

 not over three inches including the top dressing. 



Care must be taken that they be not in any way stunted, 

 either by any obstacle in the way coming up through the soil, 

 or by weeds and neglect afterwards. Seedlings stunted in the 

 early stages of their growth, never make sound, thrifty, healthy 

 trees, and therefore should never be planted. If they come 

 up too close together, they should be thinned out when four or 

 five inches high to regular distances, about ten inches apart. 

 When left too thick they grow up slender and feeble, and con- 

 sequently unfit for further use. As one strong seedling is 

 worth twenty poor ones, we must therefore see the importance 

 of thinning out all the weakest plants. Pear seedlings of one 

 season's growth must be taken up late in the fall, before the 

 ground freezes, and packed close together. Having no side 

 roots to hold them in the soil, they cannot stand the severity 



