108 



NURSERIES. 



nus, more particularly in the species Scots fir ; so 

 much inferior to those of Nature's own rearing, 

 where only the stronger, more hardy, soil- suited va- 

 rieties can struggle forward to maturity and repro- 

 duction ? 



We say that the rm-al economist should pay as 

 much regard to the breed or particular variety of his 

 forest trees, as he does to that of his live stock of 

 horses, cows, and sheep. That nurserymen should 

 attest the variety of their timber plants, sowing 

 no seeds but those gathered from the largest, most 

 healthy, and luxuriant growing trees, abstaining 

 from the seed of the prematurely productive, and 

 also from that of the very aged and over-matm-e ; 

 as they, from animal analogy, may be expected to 

 give an infirm progeny, subject to premature decay. 



As, from many facts, a considerable influence is 

 known to result in several vegetables from drying 

 severely the seeds from whence they had sprung 

 from exposure of these seeds to the sun and air, — 

 from long keeping, or from injury by mould or im- 



* The full ripening of the seeds of some cultivated varieties of 

 vegetables, and also the drying of the seeds severely without arti- 

 ficial heat, are found to have considerable influence upon the 

 germination of the seeds, and even some impression upon t\ie 

 character of the resulting plant. 



