38 



FRUIT GARDEN COMPANION. 



when taken from the fruit and kept through the win- 

 ter in a tub or other vessel until the sowing in the 

 spring. This method may be adopted with the 

 plum, cherry, and all kinds of hard shelled seeds. 

 The kernels or seeds of apples, pears, and most 

 pomiferous fruits may be taken from the pulp when 

 ripe and kept in sand through the winter. In this 

 state they will keep regularly moist and their vege- 

 tative principle in a more vigorous state, and from < 

 decaying, although moisture is injurious to seed in a 

 dormant state; it may be applied to such seed as is 

 covered with a hard shell during its dormant state, 

 as the peach stone, cherry, and the like. In this 

 case moisture applied in a moderate manner serves 

 to assist in the gradual decay of the coat or cover- 

 ing, which is the shell ; this is designed by nature to 

 protect the kernel or seed during winter from wet 

 and other detrimental causes injuring it before vege- 

 tation can take place ; but at the same time it is im- 

 possible that the kernel or seed can vegetate until 

 the covering is decayed, which must be done by 

 the action of heat and moisture to decompose the 

 shell, previous to the seed's vegetating ; therefore 

 the utility of preparing seeds of this kind previous to 

 planting is at once apparent. 



All kinds of seeds require a proper heat and 

 moisture to cause them to vegetate freely ; hence 

 tropical seeds, as the cucumber, require 60° of heat 

 to cause them to vegetate, whilst those of the tem- 

 perate zone grow freely in the moderate heat of 40° 

 or 45°, this should be borne in mind by the cultiva- 

 tor, in order that seeds may be sown at the 

 season when vegetation will take place to the best 

 advantage. 



