‘ 
8: THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. | 
Renowued fo: his Wa‘ches Jewellery, and Repairs. 
132 GAWLER PLACE.” 
September 2, 1907. 
ADELAIDE | 
oy 
The Propagation of Orna-— 
mental Nursery Stock. 
By W. H. Wyman, Mass., U.S.A. 
Trees of all kinds, fruit, deciduous and 
evergreen, are ornamental; but these will 
be eliminated in this discussion although 
for the most part they are propagated 
precisely as are those popularly known 
as ornamental stock, viz., bioad-leaved 
evergreens, deciduous shrubs and herb- 
aceous fplants. All the types of broad- 
leaved evergreens are raised from seed, 
while hydrids are propagated by budding 
or grafting the seedlings, or by the means 
of layering. The latter is the slower of 
these methods and is less frequently 
adopted by commercial nurserymen. Not 
to any considerable extent are rhododend- 
rons grown in America, In Holland, Bel- 
gium and England, so far as our obser- 
vation goes, all hybrids are grafted, for the 
most part, on ponticum seedlings of about 
two summers’ growth. This is done in 
winter, under glass. In the spring they 
are planted out in beds, again to be tran- 
splanted a second time into nursery rows 
and third year they are sufficiently large 
for sale. Our chief interest is in the pro- 
pagation of deciduous shrubs and her- 
baeeous plants 
Decipvous Suruss anp HrRBacrous 
PLAN4S. 
Of the various methods of ‘propagating 
this class of stock the following should 
be mentioned as the most general: By 
sowing seeds, the seed method layering, 
cuttings. both hard and soft wood: by 
division, and by budding or grafting. 
Of all these methods the first is the 
most natural, but it can be adopted only 
so far as the propagation of types is con- 
cerned. The seeds of all hybrids cannot 
be relied upon, only to revert to their 
original types. For example, Ligustrum 
Regelianum seeds as profusely as the 
ibota, the type from which it sprang, but 
the seedlings willall be ibota with pos- 
sibly some variations, but never Rege- 
lianum. 
While the seed method of propagation 
is the most natural of methods we believe 
it one that requires as much painstaking 
study as any. Over against this in the 
order of naturalness is the stooling or 
layering method, the simplest or least 
difficult of any, but not much in vogue in 
this country, because it is too slow for 
commercial purposes. In Europe shade 
trees are to yuite a considerable extent 
produced in this way. The advantage is 
uuiformity of excellence in quality while 
seedlings admit, in some cases, of great 
variations. While we believe it to be true 
that in this country little ornamental 
stock is produced in this way, the writer 
is acquainted with one firm of repute who 
grow Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora in 
quite considerable quantities by this 
method. They are a marked exception to 
the general rule. 
Tur Seep Mernop. 
It is our opinion, that while the seed 
method is the most natural itis, as before 
stated, as difficult of mastery as any of 
the methods of propagation. The first step 
in seed propagation is the procuring of 
the seeds. Then they must be properly 
treated. If the seeds are easily separated 
from pulp or chaff like those of Syringa 
japonica there is little to be done; simply 
to put them into a cool place safe froin 
the ravages of mice to await the day of 
planting. They must not be allowed to 
become too dry. If the seed is encased in 
pulp, it is best that it be thoionghly 
washed out and stratified or planted lm- 
mediately. Which of these two methods 
is the better it is impossible to say. We 
would reommend whet we have learned 
by experience—the planting of a part in 
the Fall, and the stratifying of the remain- 
ing half for Spring planting. 
Advantages of immediate or Fall plant- 
ing are these: So much work is out of the 
way. A small matter. Secondly, the seeds 
are in the ground ready to begin germi- 
nation at the earliest possible moment. 
If nothing happens to injure them, the 
seedlings will be better and larger than 
will be the case if in the Spring the seeds 
are not sown at the earliest date praticable 
This method is beset with dangers, first 
that field mice and moles will find the 
bed a very desirable habitation for the 
Winter, with the result that the seeds 
eaten up. Then again, there is another 
danger which must not be overlooked, 
though it may seldom, if ever occur, In 
the Fall of 1905, we planted all of our 
seeds of the varicus types of roses, Ordi- 
narily, we had a right to expect a fine lot 
of rose seedlings the following season, but 
to our surprise, there was only one where 
there should have been a thousand—an 
absolute failure The fault was not with 
the seeds we feel confident, bu: with the 
season, In February of that year we had 
an unusvally mild spell of weather lastin 
for several days with the result that deci: 
duous trees began to make new foliage, 
This was followed by very severe weather 
It is most probable that the seeds felt the 
warwth of the sun and germinated only- 
to have their little life :uined by the cold, 
This is a danger that may seldom arise, 
but as it has arisen once in our experience 
we think ita matter that is deserving 
attention. . 
_On the whole the safest method is to 
stratify the seeds, The danger attending 
this methed is that the seeds will not be 
taken from their hiding place as early as 
it is necessary, and germination will al- 
ready 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 following their 
ripening the previous Autumn, such ag 
the barberry, sambucus and evergreen 
seed. But there are some other seeds 
like those of viburnum opulis and clem- 
atis peniculata, that will not germinate in 
the spring, but will do so later in the 
season, abeut 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 those 
of 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 those of 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 the peculiarities 
of the seeds he has by no means mastered 
the situation, 
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 seed- 
lings 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 acquaint- 
ed, say New England 
Thus far all that we have said applies. 
