at bottom with rich soil intermixed with a portion of manure. The tree should generally be set about two inches deeper than it stood before, but not deeper than this; the fibres should be spread horizontally in their natural position, and the soil intimately and compactly placed about their roots; manure may be placed above and beneath, and on every side, but ought never to be suffered to come in contact with the roots, as it is liable in this case to corrupt and injure them: finish by treading the ground very hard. When evergreen trees are set it is generally considered indispensable to pour at once a few gallons of water around the tree previous to treading hard the earth; finish earthing and tread hard an hour afterwards. This is an excellent and safe mode with regard to any tree.

SECTION VII.-PROPAGATION.

Most of the species of trees and ligneous plants, are propagated by seeds, and some may be propagated by cuttings and all by layers.

BY SEEDS. In raising trees, &c. from the seeds, it is generally a good rule to plant or sow them as soon as they are mature and gathered from the tree. Those seeds however which are enveloped in a pulp, must first be separated. Those of the hawthorn and many other kinds which are possessed of a gummy or resinous pulp will not vegetate till the second year, unless first separated and subjected to the action of frost, or the seeds of the locust and many other kinds, which are possessed of hard shells and therefore require to be frozen beneath the soil, may be made to vegetate quickly, by being covered with boiling water and set in a warm place; as the seeds become swollen, they are separated and planted, and fresh boiling water is poured over the remainder every twenty four hours, till all are prepared.

There are many advantages attending the practice of causing seeds of various kinds to germinate before being planted. Such seeds rise at once in advance of the weeds, and strike root downwards while the earth is yet humid and before the scorching sun has dried up the moisture, thus rendering it impossible for any seeds to vegetate near its surface.

Small seeds of many species may be enclosed in small linen bags or in moss or cotton, and steeped a few hours

in lukewarm water; these being suspended, during night in a chimney where a fire has been kept during the day will vegetate by morning. This is an easy mode which has been recommended. More slow growing seeds, after steeping a day in warm water, are to be kept for several days in a lukewarm atmosphere.

Seeds steeped in a weak solution of muriate of lime, or in water containing a few drops of muriatic acid; germinate still more suddenly, and I find it stated on good authority that seeds one hundred and twenty years old, which were brought by Boose from the Bahamas and had resisted every effort to make them vegetate, were yet made to germinate by steeping them in a weak solution of muriatic acid. Boyse of Prussia, has accelerated the germination of seeds by moistening with malic acid (cider).

When seeds are to be transported to distant climates by sea, it is recommended to preserve them in new and finely powdered charcoal; or they may be immersed in a thick solution of gum arabic, and after being dried, they may be closely corked up in glass vessels. Lastly, packing seeds compactly in layers of sugar is found to be an excellent mode of preservation.

LAYERS are the limbs or suckers of trees, bent down without being separated from the parent tree, and covered with soil; their extreme ends only being left out: thus buried, they will soon strike root, generally. Some particular kinds of trees however, with extreme difficulty; such must be tongued, an operation which consists in cutting the layer half off, beneath the surface, and below an eye, and splitting it up an inch or more; the cleft to be kept open by a small wedge. This operation should be performed in spring; and the plant when well rooted may be separated in the autumn or spring following.

CUTTINGS.-There are many kinds of trees which may be raised from cuttings. Cuttings should generally be from eight inches to a foot in length, and cut off at bottom close below an eye, and planted in a humid soil, two thirds of their length beneath the surface, and the ground trodden hard. With some particular kinds however, it is necessary to square the bottom of the cutting, and to press it hard down on the bottom of a pot. Other kinds must be planted in pure sand, and protected from the sun till rooted

they require artificial heat in the soil, and a confined atmosphere, which moderates their transpiration.

SECTION VIII.-INOCULATING.

Inoculating, is the operation of transferring any particular and desirable variety of tree, upon the stock of an inferior or wild variety. The operation is principally practised on small trees, and only during the time when the sap flows freely, and chiefly during the months of August and September.

Select for the buds the ripest young twigs of the year, and cut off the leaves, leaving the foot stalk entire. Having selected a smooth place in the stock, make a perpendicular slit downward quite through the bark, an inch or a little more in length. Make a cross cut at the top of this slit, quite through to the wood, a little slanting downwards; next with the ivory haft of the knife, raise the bark on both sides from top to bottom, being very careful not to injure in the least the cambium or sap wood. Next, and with expedition, proceed to take off a bud; this is effected by entering the knife half an inch or more below the bud or eye, quite through the bark, and separating the bark from the wood to the same distance above the eye; always leaving a very thin slip of wood of about one third of the length of the bud; this thin slip of wood occupies the middle section of its length. The bud is to be immediately inserted in the stock to the bottom of the slit, and between the bark and the wood; and the top of the bud being squared even with the cross cut, every part except the eye, is firmly bound and covered with strong wet bass matting.

It is by no means a point so very essential, whether the cross cut is made at the top, or bottom of the slit; whether the bud is inserted downwards, or upwards; it generally succeeds equally in both cases. The mode of taking off the bud with a thin slip of wood occupying the middle section of its length, is called the new or American mode; as I find it described by no European author. It is the mode best adapted to a warm climate. But when the season is far advanced and the sap flows less freely, it is deemed the surest mode to take out the whole of the wood, always leaving the root of the bud.

The string is to be taken off as soon as it begins to girdle the tree, which is generally in about ten days.

In spring, between the time the frost is out of the ground and the rising of the sap, cut off the stock a quarter of an inch above the bud sloping downwards on the opposite side.

SCALLOPE BUDDING is performed by cutting from a small stock, a thin narrow scallope of wood, about an inch in length; and taking from a twig a thin scallope of wood of the same length containing a bud; this is instantly applied and fitted perfectly at top and bottom, and on at least one of its sides, and firmly bound with wet bass matting. This mode may be practised in spring, and if it fails, a second chance will be offered in July.-The French are stated to practise this mode on roses.

The above are the principal modes of inoculating adopted in practice, although Professor Thouin has described no less than twentythree distinct modes of operation.

Dr Van Mons buds his roses in June, so that they grow and frequently blossom in the same year. He prepares the young and unripe wood by separating the leaves, leaving only their footstalks; in fifteen days after their buds are swollen, and are now fit for insertion: the stock is cut off six inches above the insertion of the bud, at the time the operation is performed. They are bound with thin strings. of bass matting, previously drawn through a solution of alum and white soap, and dried, which renders them impervious to water.

SECTION IX.-GRAFTING.

Grafting is usually performed in spring. Professor Thouin has described forty modes, but the following will answer for all general purposes.

WHIP GRAFTING or splice grafting. This mode is practised principally on small stocks; and it succeeds best when the scion and stock are of an equal size.

The scion, which consists of the young wood of the former year's growth, is cut to the length of about four inches. This and the stock are each to be cut sloping for an inch or more, and tongued. Tonguing consists in cutting a slit in the middle of the slope of the stock in the scion downwards, and a corresponding slit upwards; both are now to be nicely joined, so that one of the sides at least, if not both

shall perfectly coincide, and to be securely bound with a wet bass matting string, and covering with composition, or with grafting clay. As soon as the scion and stock

are completely united, the string is to be removed.

CLEFT GRAFTING. This mode of grafting is usually practised on stocks of from one to two inches in diameter. It is thus performed. The head of the stock is carefully sawed off at a part free from knots, and the top pared smooth; with a thin knife split down the stock through the centre, to the depth of about two inches, and insert a wedge to keep it open for the reception of the scion. The scion is to be prepared in the form of a wedge; with an eye if possible in the upper part of the portion thus formed, perfect success is the more certain when this is the case. The scion is now to be carefully inserted, so that the inner bark of the scion and of the stock may both exactly meet. Large stocks require two scions, one on each side; sometimes four are inserted. The whole is now to be carefully covered with the composition, or grafting clay, except two or three eyes of each scion. This mode of grafting is equally applicable to very small stocks, but these being weak must be bound with a string of bass matting.

SADDLE GRAFTING. This mode of grafting is performed chiefly on very small stocks. it is much practised by Mr Knight. The upper part of the stock is prepared in the form of a wedge, by two sloping cuts, one on each side. The scion is prepared by splitting it upwards, and paring out the middle part of each side to a point. When the stock and scion are of equal size, the adjustment may be made perfect; but if unequal, one side at least must exactly meet. The whole is secured by a string of matting and covered with the composition, or clay. The string however is to be removed when a perfect union has taken place.

ROOT GRAFTING. This operation is often performed on grape vines, just below the level of the surface, by the usual mode of cleft grafting. It is also performed on portions or pieces of root, where suitable stocks are scarce.

SIDE GRAFTING. This mode is sometimes practised on those parts of a tree where a limb is wanting. There are two ways in which it is performed. 1st. The scion is prepared in the same manner as for splice grafting, and the