26 PLANT CULTURE 



pots; in these they take up too much room and are apt to suffer 

 from too much or too little water. One will get dry here and there, 

 and the chances are that when water is given others in the neighbor- 

 hood will get water when they do not need it. Putting several in a 

 pot is just as unsatisfactory, as they must be divided up as soon as 

 sufficient growth is made, and repotted. This applies especially 

 to herbaceous plants which have a large number of fibry roots in- 

 stead of a tap root. 



The plan of putting the seedlings in boxes, when large enough 

 to handle, is the most satisfactory method. Watering is then an 

 easy matter, and the seedlings, when large enough, can be trans- 

 ferred to the open ground or potted as required — it is a saving 

 of space and a saving in labor, especially when the seedlings are 

 transferred to frames and to their permanent quarters. 



The seeds of many plants may be safely sown at almost any 

 time of the year. The majority of herbaceous plants should be 

 sown during the late Summer, as they occupy comparatively little 

 space throughout the Winter months, and numerous species will 

 bloom the succeeding year, especially if the plants be put in their 

 permanent positions in the Fall, which has been found a very advis- 

 able thing to do. Seeds of herbaceous plants, sown early in Spring, 

 especially by amateurs, do not help in making those plants popular, 

 as the seedlings in the majority of cases do not flower the first 

 year, and some of the species not even during the second season. 



GRAFTAGE. Graftage consists of placing together two sepa- 

 rate parts of plants so that they will unite and grow as one. That 

 part on which the graft is placed is usually a plant provided with 

 roots, and is called the stock. The graft, or cion, is the part which is 

 intended to develop into the future part of the tree, shrub, or vine, 

 as the case may be, which will bear leaves, flowers and fruits. When 

 the union has taken place, both stock and cion continue developing 

 as one plant, with, in most instances, very httle to indicate that 

 stock and cion, or roots and branches, belong to different species, 

 varieties, or forms. Grafting is, however, frequently done upon 

 the branches of trees, shrubs or even herbaceous plants, so that 

 frequently we may see several varieties in flower together, or 

 earlier or later as the case may be, with the flowers of the species, 

 or variety, upon which the grafts are growing. 



Some of the reasons why grafting is resorted to as a means of 

 propagating certain species, but principally varieties and forms, in 

 preference to other methods of propagation, are as follows: In 



