132 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Manipulation of Seedling Stock. 



If seeds are sown in October the seedlings should be ready for 

 transplanting about February or as soon as the early rains set in. The 

 soil should then be thoroughly soaked, and the seedlings pulled straight 

 up by the hand. The soil should be shaken from the roots and the 

 seedlings sorted, all the weak and deformed plants being destroyed, and 

 only the most vigorous retained for planting. The roots should then 

 receive a light pruning, the tap root being cut back and the laterals 

 pruned (fig. 88). This stimulates the production of a surface-feeding root 

 system, and prevents the breaking or twisting of the roots when being 

 transplanted. The heads of the young seedlings should also be pruned 

 and cut back about half their length, and the leaves clipped. This is 

 usually done at the same time as the pruning of the roots. 



Personally, I am in favour of head pruning, and do this a week or 

 so before the seedlings are removed from the seed beds. They then 

 have a better chance of recovering from this operation before under- 

 going the second. Having been properly pruned, they should be planted 

 in similar nursery beds at distances from 12 to 18 inches apart in the 

 rows, and two rows planted in each bed. Whilst planting they should be 

 held perfectly upright with the left hand, and the soil pressed firmly 

 around them with the right. 



Great care should be exercised in seeing that the seedling is not 

 planted any deeper than it originally stood before transplanting. Too 

 much stress cannot be laid on thi3 point, as it is in many cases the entire 

 cause of failure on the part of the plant to grow after being transplanted. 



Transplanting having been successfully accomplished, the plants 

 should be allowed to grow undisturbed beyond an occasional pruning of 

 any side branches, so as to keep the growth confined to the formation of 



Fig. 88. — Root System of Seedling Stock. 



