PROPAGATION. 



207 



seeds of Comiers, merely pressing- them into the soil 

 so that they are partly buried. Light appears to be 

 helpful to the germination of seeds of coniferous 

 plants. In germinating, the radicle, or root, is the 

 lirst to appear, j)ushing its way into the soil, to be 

 succeeded by the appearance of the leaves from the 

 opposite end of the seed. It is usual to plant 

 large coniferous seeds with their thin end a little 

 way in the soil, leaxdng- the thicker end exposed 

 and pointing upwards, as, for instance, in seeds of 

 Araucarias. 



Fig. 1 illustrates the jjosition of the embryo in the 

 seed of a Pine, and a seedling- after it has emerged 



as if broken or in any way injured it not unfre- 

 quently happens that death is the consequence. 

 The manner of germination in Palm-seeds is 

 shown by Pigs. 3 

 and 4 ; the seeds 

 are still attached to 

 the young- plants, 

 to which they will 

 continue to alford 

 nourishment until 

 the plant is well es - 

 tablished, when the 

 seeds will fall away. 



Fig'. G.— Seed, of Borassiis or D.ite-Palm. 



from the seed. The importance of planting the large 

 seeds of Conifers with the thin end downwards is 

 here made apparent. Fig. 2 represents a seedling of 

 Salisito'ia (Maiden-hair tree). 



Palms.— Seeds of the commoner kinds of Palms 

 usually germinate freely if sown in pans of soil, and 

 placed on a bottom heat of 80°. Some of the rarer 

 kinds require somewhat special treatment, especially 

 those which grow in swamps. For these it is neces- 

 sary to use an open soil, and to stand the pots 

 in which the seeds are sown in pans of water, Many 

 Palms germinate quickly, b;it owing to unfavom-ablo 

 conditions the seedlings are weakened or fatally 

 injured before they become strong enough to look 

 after themselves. A regular temperature, both at 

 the roots and overhead, is of special importance, as 

 also is an uniformly moist soil, anything approach- 

 ing drying being harmful to seedling Palms. In 

 removing them from the seed-pans to pot them into 

 separate pots, the roots should be carefully handled. 



Fig. 4. — Germination of rulm-seed. 



Orch-ids and TiTepenthes. — ^Thc majority of 

 Orchids, and the wliole of the Xepenthos, are epi- 

 jihytal in habit. Thoir seeds are very small ; both 



