— 2— 



ticulture is defined as the artificial multiplication or re- 

 production of plants as contrasted with their natural mul- 

 tiplication which Nature looks after. 



You may wonder why it would not be easiest and 

 best to propagate all varieties from the seed. It some- 

 times happens that after plants have been cultivated for 

 some time, and are much improved in appearance by this 

 culture, their seeds are weakened and cannot be relied 

 upon to germinate; or by growing near each other two 

 varieties may have become mixed so that their seeds 

 would not come true. You know that the pistil of a 

 flower must be fertilized by pollen dust in order to pro- 

 duce seed. If this pollen dust is from the same plant, 

 probably the seed will produce plants like the parent ; but 

 suppose another variety be growing beside this one and 

 that the wind or insects or some other agency should 

 carry pollen from one plant to the other, then the seeds 

 of these two plants might be like either one of the par- 

 ents or be so mixed as not to be like either. So where it 

 is desired to create new varieties this exchanging of pol- 

 len is done by hand, instead of trusting to the natural 

 methods of pollination. One cannot be sure of the result 

 unless he attends to the pollination of the flowers himself. 

 With plants which are called annuals, because they live 

 their whole life in one year and die. or with biennials 

 which have a two year life, it is the custom to use seeds 

 instead of any of the other methods of cultivation. This 

 is also the case with field grains, forest trees or seedlings 

 to be used for grafting, and, as we learned before, when- 

 ever man wishes to produce new varieties. 



If the gardener desires to grow a new plant just like 

 one which he already has he will be more certain to suc- 

 ceed if he takes some portion of the root, stem or leaf and 



