mported seeds.
It may be laid down as a law that _species_ of Coniferae should never be
grafted but raised from seed, which can always be obtained through
English firms. With varietal forms of Coniferae that will not come true
from seed or that cannot be struck as cuttings, grafting must be
resorted to, and if young plants of the type species are used as stocks
the results will be fairly satisfactory. In the case of some of the more
highly variegated Cupressus, &c., grafting is really the best method of
propagation, as these forms are mostly of weak constitution and are not
satisfactory from cuttings. In the following list the best methods of
propagation are given with each genus, together with special mention of
those forms which are of indifferent growth though not difficult to
propagate:--

JUNIPERUS.--The Junipers should be raised from seeds, though some of
them do fairly well if propagated by cuttings. The green and glaucous
varieties of _J. chinensis_, _J. excelsa_, _J. virginiana_, and _J.
communis_ root easily from cuttings, or can be layered with success. The
variegated forms are best grafted on stocks of the species they belong
to, and _J. Sabina_ (the Savin) and its varieties are easily raised from
cuttings or layers, the latter being a very easy way of propagating
them.

CUPRESSUS.--This genus is divided into two sections, viz., the true
Cypresses, represented by _C. macrocarpa_, _C. sempervirens_, &c., and
Chamaecyparis, of which _Cupressus lawsoniana_ is the best known
species. With the former section seeds are the best means of reproducing
the species, while the few varieties should be grafted on stocks of the
parent species. The handsome _C. macrocarpa var. lutea_ especially
should be worked on the type, as it is practically a failure from
cuttings, and if grafted on _C. lawsoniana_, as is sometimes done, it
makes a short, stumpy bush instead of a typically tall columnar tree. In
the Chamaecyparis section _Cupressus lawsoniana_, _C. nootkatensis_, _C.
obtusa_, _C. pisifera_, and _C. thyoides_ are the only species, though
there are a host of varieties attached to them, the forms of the three
latter species, in fact, including all the various plants more commonly
known under the generic title of Retinospora. The species should be
raised from seed, which is easily obtainable and germinates readily, or
in default they will root from cuttings. The varieties, with a few
exceptions, are quickly propagated by