CONIFERS AND PINES 109 



Abies, Picea, and Pinus is due to a great extent 

 to the practice of grafting them on unsuitable stocks. 

 For instance, the species of Abies are worked on 

 A. peciinata, of Picea on P- excelsa, and of Pinus 

 on P. sylvestris or P- Laricio. In addition to this, 

 such methods and stocks are still spoken of as the 

 correct ones to use ; though, to take one genus 

 alone, what kind of a specimen Abies bracteata, 

 A. nobilis, or A. concolor would make in twenty 

 year's time if worked on A. peciinata we should 

 not like to say — certainly very poor, even if they 

 lived, which is doubtful. It may be laid down as 

 a law that species of Coniferae should never be 

 grafted but raised from seed, which can always be 

 obtained through English firms. With varietal forms 

 of Coniferae that will not come true from seed or 

 that cannot be struck as cuttings, grafting must 

 be resorted to, and if young plants of the type 

 species are used as stocks the results will be fairly 

 satisfactory. In the case of some of the more 

 highly variegated Cupressus, &c., grafting is really 

 the best method of propagation, as these forms are 

 mostly of weak constitution and are not satisfactory 

 from cuttings. In the following list the best methods 

 of propagation are given with each genus, together 

 with special mention of those forms which are of 

 indifferent growth though not difficult to propagate : — 

 JUNIPERUS. — The Junipers should be raised from 

 seeds, though some of them do fairly well if propa- 

 gated by cuttings. The green and glaucous varieties 

 of J. chinensis, J. excelsa, J. virginiana, and /. communis 



