332 CASTANEA. 



tion of the varieties, which, to perpetuate, must be grafted. 

 Well-ripened and the finest nuts ought to be selected; 

 and, as they are a favourite food of mice and other ver- 

 min, are best kept over the winter months in dry sand, 

 to preserve their vegetative powers, and not sown till the 

 beginning or middle of March. They may be sown either 

 in drills or in beds, the nuts being covered to the depth 

 of nearly three inches ; and in the few trials of raising 

 the Chesnut from seed that we have made, we found 

 that furze cut up into small pieces, and placed both above 

 and below the nuts, was a good preservative against the 

 attacks of the vole and field mice, and did not affect, 

 at least injuriously, the success and growth of the seedlings. 

 From the seed-bed, after a year's growth they should be 

 run into nursery rows, from whence they may be trans- 

 planted into their permanent stations in two or three years, 

 for we have found that small plants of three or four years" 1 

 growth succeed much better than those kept in the nursery 

 till of larger size. After being planted out, we have found 

 it advisable, in case they did not push freely, or remained 

 stunted, crooked, and unsightly, to adopt the method 

 often pursued with the oak, and other kinds of hard wood, 

 viz., to cut them over close by the ground, which almost 

 invariably ensures a straight, strong, healthy shoot from 

 the root. During youth the side shoots sometimes require 

 shortening or cutting in, and now and then a second leader 

 has to be extirpated ; but no excessive pruning, like that 

 described by some of our arboriculturists, ought ever to 

 be adopted when beauty and elegance of form are desired. 



The amputation of large branches, close by the bole, 

 is also always attended by bad effects, and contributes 

 to the speedier decay of the tree. 



