172 Solving Seeds in Snow. 



unable to give an engraving of it. It must be a remarka- 

 ble variety not only for the leaf, as food for the silk worm, 

 but for its fruit which is of unusual size, being 2 to 2| 

 inches in length. This alone should recommend it to gen- 

 eral cultivation ; and we trust Mr. Denormandie will cul- 

 tivate it with a view to its dissemination as a fruit bearing 

 tree. It certainly would be far more desirable than the 

 common English mulberry, which is esteemed an excellent 

 variety. — Ed. 



Art. VL Sowing Seeds in Snow. Translated from the 

 Allgemeine Gardenzeitung of April, 1841. By K. 



For five years I have practised with considerable suc- 

 cess, sowing the seeds of such Alpine plants as the Gen- 

 tians, Ranunculus, Anemone, &c., usually of difficult vege- 

 tation, in snow. At Erfurt 1 have raised many hundred 

 gentians, ^i'he sowing of auricula seeds in snow is a well 

 known practice among our north German gardeners. 



This spring the idea occurred to me that this method of 

 sowing might be applied to the sprouting of exotic seeds, a 

 much more valuable purpose ; I therefore sowed a parcel of 

 New Holland seeds, such as Papilionacese and Mimoseae, 

 also £^ricdcca3 and /ihodoracegs, Cacteee, Cucurbitacese, and 

 other families of the most diiferent sorts, by first covering 

 the earth in the flower pots with a layer of snow, then 

 sprinkling the seeds and adding another layer of snow, and 

 placing them finally in the hot-house in a close glass case, 

 in a temperature of from 12 to 15 degrees of Reaumur. 



I was not deceived, for after two days several sorts of 

 acacia, such as subcsaerulea and Cunningham//, and many 

 of the Mamillaria, such as uncinata had sprung up. All 

 these came up very evenly, and beyond my expectation, 

 speedily; and for the first time I succeeded in forcing the 

 seeds of Crotalaria purpurea into vegetation. 



In sowing these last 1 did not cover the seeds immediately 

 after the meUing of the snow with fine, sandy earth, as 

 was done in former cases, but postponed doing so until after 

 the seeds had sprouted. Snow for this purpose may be laid 

 up in ice-houses until June, and answers perfectly, (5cc., «SuC., 



