36 MARKET NURSERY WORK 



of our garden practices, for horticulture is the oldest of all 

 professions, and innovations of any serious nature are practically 

 unknown. Where any species of plant has several varieties, 

 seeds cannot as a rule be depended upon to reproduce the 

 varietal characteristics, though be it admitted that selection 

 and re-selection through a number of years has done much to 

 *' fix " distinctive features. It is still right, however, to say 

 that a grower can only be certain that his stock is pure when it 

 has been propagated from cuttings of the original. (Cuttings 

 in this sense would include " grafts.") 



A simple example of this is the Lobelia. Seeds of such 

 varieties as Emperor William, Mrs. Clibran, Bluestone, etc., 

 are sown every year by nurserymen. A very large proportion 

 come true to name, but a minority are variable, and if only 

 one or two rogues get planted among the others they are unsightly. 

 In a bed or in a ribbon, Lobelia plants must be uniform in habit 

 and alike in colour, or the scheme is marred, and for this reason 

 all the best stocks in the country are propagated from cuttings. 



In addition to this, some of our most popular plants do not 

 yield a sufficiency of seeds to perpetuate their race and number. 

 The Zonal Geranium is an example, and if there were no method 

 of propagation other than by seed, this deservedly popular 

 plant would speedily become scarce and expensive. Another 

 point this same Zonal will serve to typify another feature, 

 viz., that its seedlings are totally unsuited to the particular 

 purpose for which Geraniums are usually required, where the 

 desiderata are moderate growth and an abundance of bloom. 

 If we take a seedling and grow it on, its growth will be profuse, 

 probably gross, and its blooms very few. Indeed, until it has 

 attained considerable proportions it simply refuses to bloom, 

 and cuttings taken from it will be in flower before the parent plant. 



We give this as a practical illustration of our remarks, and 

 though we are not here concerned with the scientific reasons for 

 this, we might say, in passing, that the root system of a seedling 

 differs materially from that of a cutting. The one is produced 

 in Nature's old, old way, the other, also natural, has been 

 artificially promoted. The difference between the two is 

 well known and turned to advantage. The grower of roses 



