220 THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



Cones should be matured fully before being gathered. If they 

 hold the seeds tightly, they should be placed in a dry place, some- 

 times even in an oven, until the scales spread. In some species, 

 as the balsam fir, the cones drop and fall to pieces as soon as ripe, 

 and these cones must be gathered just before they begin to fall. 

 The seeds may be separated by rubbing them in the hands, when 

 they are thoroughly dry, then winnowing them out through a 

 sieve. To obtain stocky plants, the seedlings should be trans- 

 planted the following spring. 



The named varieties and the species which do not produce suf- 

 ficient seed are winter-worked on seedling stocks which are potted 

 in the fall. Cuttings of growing tips set in sand in a close well- 

 shaded house or frame are often successful. Stocks the size of a 

 lead pencil are commonly used. One-year-old seedlings are usu- 

 ally preferred, but in some cases the requisite size is not reached 

 until the second or third year. Any of the common operations 

 of grafting may be employed, but the veneer-graft is best. The 

 conifers are not difficult to graft. The European silver fir (Abies 

 Picea or pectinata) or the balsam fir may be used as a stock, but 

 the common Norway spruce is now the most popular stock for 

 species of both Abies and Picea (see Picea). 



Abobra. Cucurbitaceoe. 



Readily propagated by seeds ; also by softwood cuttings. 



Abronia (Sand Verbena). Nyctaginacece. 



Propagated by seeds sown in autumn or spring. Sometimes 

 sown in pots of sandy soil, and kept in a frame till the following 

 spring, then placed in their flowering quarters. Also increased 

 by young cuttings, set in spring, in sandy soil. Spring sowing in 

 the open is a common method in this country. The outer cover- 

 ings of the seed should be removed. 



Abrus. Leguminosce. 



Propagated by seeds, more quickly by soaking; also by cut- 

 tings under glass in sand. 



Abutilon (Flowering Maple). Mahaceaz. 



Propagated by seeds and cuttings. Sow seeds in pans, with same 

 soil and temperature as for cuttings ; if planted in March, bloom- 

 ing plants should be secured by autumn. Cuttings may be taken 

 from young wood, at almost any season ; the best time is spring 



