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the weather during the period of ripening. Most of these tree 

 seeds retain their vitality for only a short time and should the 

 weather happen to be dry when they drop, and remain so for 

 several days only a few plants come up, while on the other hand 

 should there be frequent showers they come up in thousands though 

 for want of light and space only a very small proportion survive. 



Cuttings. 



Next to propagation by means of seeds, cuttings is the most 

 expeditious method, and the one most commonly adopted when the 

 plant is amenable to this system, In some cases, however, it is 

 difficult to get cuttings to grow and then in the absence of seeds, 

 one or other of the processes to be mentioned hereafter must be 

 resorted to. In the majority of cases trees and shrubs grow best 

 from pieces of ripe or half-ripe wood which should be cut cleanly 

 at a joint and in a slanting direction. Soft-wooded plants, such 

 for instance as Coleus, Verbenas, &c. grow best from the points of 

 soft tender growing shoots which should be inserted in a mixture 

 of light soil containing a large proportion of fine sand. For trees 

 and shrubs too there is, in a general way, nothing better to induce 

 root formation than soil composed largely of leaf-mould and sand, 

 though the amount of sand need not be so great as in the case of 

 soft-wooded plants. Propagation from leaf cuttings can also in 

 some cases be easily effected by inserting them in almost pure sand 

 and not over watering them. Begonias, Gloxinias, Gesneras, and 

 other plants of a similar nature, are amenable to this treatment. 

 Attention to shading and watering are the main point to be ob- 

 served in propagating from cuttings as well as from seeds. 



Grafts. 



Grafting is an ancient method of propagation, the history of 

 which has been lost in the mists of antiquity. It is not as many 

 seem to suppose a method by which new fruits or flowers are pro- 

 duced, but simply a means of multiplying existing forms, and in 

 some cases of increasing their rate of growth or capability of pro- 

 ducing flowers and fruit. In the case of some varieties of fruit 

 trees the object of grafting is not to obtain more rapid growth but 

 a greater abundance of fruit ; consequently a slow growino- kind of 

 stock is selected on which to place the graft ; in others more 

 vigorous growth is the object aimed at, and then a vigorous quick 

 growing stock is selected. There must, however, be a natural 

 affinity between the two parts, the stock and the scion, though they 

 need not necessarily be of the same species or even of the same 

 genus. For instance, there would probably be no difficulty in 

 grafting the cultivated forms of the Mango (Mangifera indica) on 

 the "Bachang" (Mangifera foetida) or the nutmeg (Mvristica 

 Fragrans) on Myristica Maingayii or any other of the many wild 

 species common to this region. J he range of possibilities is 

 however, still wider than this, for in some cases complete unity is 

 established when the scion and stock are of different o-enera. The 

 limit is, however, bounded by the natural order, and it would be im- 

 possible to graft the Mango on the Mangosteen. There are many 



