THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
583 
had the right to expect a fine lot of rose seedlings the follow¬ 
ing season, but to our surprise there was only one seedling 
where there should have been a thousand—an absolute 
failure. The fault was not with the seeds we feel confident; 
but with the season. In February of that year we had an 
unusually mild spell of weather lasting for several days with 
the result that deciduous trees began to make new foliage. 
This was followed by very severe weather. It is most 
probable that the seeds felt the warmth of the sun and 
germinated only to have their little life ruined by the cold. 
This is a danger that may seldom arise, but as it has arisen 
once in our experience, we think it a matter that is deserving 
attention. 
STRATIFICATION 
On the whole, the safest method is to stratify the seeds. 
The danger attending this method is that the seeds will not 
be taken from their hiding place as early as it is necessary 
and germination will already have begun and to such an 
extent as to render the whole mass worthless. This danger 
attends only those seeds that germinate in the spring follow¬ 
ing their ripening the previous autumn, such as barberry, 
Sambucus and evergreen seed. But there are some other 
seeds, like Viburnum opulis and Clematis paniculata that 
will not germinate in the spring; but will do so later in the 
season, about September. These may or may not be planted 
until the last of August. If planted they must be kept 
screened and not allowed to dry out. If not planted they 
may remain stratified until they are about to germinate 
when they may be planted. Then there are those seeds 
that require two or more years in which to begin growth, like 
the Viburnum dentatum, Viburnum cassinoides which 
should never be planted until the late autumn following the 
year of their growth. And again there are other seeds like 
Rhus aromatica that will send forth some plants the first 
year, more the second and still others the third year. Such 
seeds are the most troublesome of any with which the planter 
has to deal. When one has learned all of the peculiarities 
of the seeds with which he has to deal he has by no means 
mastered the situation. 
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS 
Most seeds require a rich sandy loam so light and friable 
that it will not bake. It must not be too dry or the little 
seedlings will burn; it must not be too wet or they will damp 
off. For the best results screening is absolutely necessary 
in the climate with which the writer is acquainted, say New 
England. Thus far all that we have said applies to propa¬ 
gation out of doors without glass in frames screened with 
ordinary lath screens. Azalea, Kalmia and Andromeda 
we believe cannot be very successfully grown in this way. 
They should be sown under glass upon clean sphagnum 
moss, where the humidity desired may be carefully main¬ 
tained. 
Here, allow me to remark that other things being equal, 
the man who has land well adapted to the growing of seed¬ 
lings will succeed, while the man who has not suitable land, 
had better let deciduous seedlings alone and devote his 
attention to something else. 
LAYERAGE 
A word relative to the stooling or layering method in 
addition to what has already been said will 'suffice. Every 
tree or plant has its own peculiarities. Plants are capri¬ 
cious. Some will lend themselves to one method of treat¬ 
ment and others to another. There are some varieties of 
ornamentals that can be more successfully propagated by 
stooling than by any other method. For example, the large 
flowering Magnolias. The types can all be raised from seed, 
but the Chinese varieties are but propagated in some other 
way. While we have seen the types raised from seed very 
successfully we do not know of any firm in this country 
which has any considerable number of good stooling plants 
of Magnolias. Why it is so we do not understand, unless it 
be that the most of the Nurserymen, are like ourselves too 
young in the business or too ignorant about the propagation 
of this class of stock to get good stooling plants. So far as 
our observation has gone all of the leading nurserymen in 
Holland have their stooling plants carefully planted and as 
carefully tended, and a crop of young Magnolias coming on 
each year. These stools are planted at a distance of about 
twelve feet apart. The same is true, as before mentioned, 
of Limes, Elms, Norway and Silver Maples and many other 
varieties of trees. It is readily seen that when once a 
specimen tree has been found and the same has been stooled 
the entire product will be of uniform excellence. 
BY CUTTINGS 
The next method of propagation is by cuttings both hard 
and soft wood. This we believe is the most general method 
of propagation in this country. A large number of our 
common shrubs, such as the Cornel, Privet, Spirea for the 
most part and many others lend themselves easily to this 
method of treatment. Hardwood cuttings should be made 
from wood of the previous summer’s growth, cut from the 
stock plants, after it has thoroughly ripened but before it 
has been subjected to excessive cold. This wood should be 
packed away in sand or moss where it will neither rot or 
become too dry. At the convenience of the propagator the 
wood can be worked up into cuttings which are usually tied 
up in bundles of one hundred each, and again packed away 
when they callous preparatory to rooting, when they are 
planted in the open. 
In latitudes where it is very warm and the soil is light as 
it is in France it is necessary to plant these cuttings under 
bell glasses in the field; but we have never seen anyone 
propagating in that way in this country. It is the general 
method in France. 
There are some varieties that cannot be worked by the 
hard-wood method. They will only root satisfactorily from 
soft wood or at least they take most kindly to this method. 
Such are Philadelphus coronarius aurea, the Forsythia, 
Hydrangea p. g., Weigela, Viburnum plicatum and many 
more. Here care must be exercised in taking the wood 
when it is not too soft nor yet too hard. That is when it will 
break short and crisp like a slender piece of burnt clay; but 
not when it is so tough as to bend double without breaking. 
The cuttings should be made larger than many propagators 
