Sometimes a small quantity of guano or other manure is sprinkled over the seeds, after which they are gently pressed down with a light roller, and the soil, which was temporarily deposited along the margin of the bed, replaced by the “cuffing-board” or riddle. When seeds are sown early, and with care, on well-prepared ground, watering is seldom necessary; but still, with small seeds and in very dry ground, an occasional sprinkling the last thing at night is highly beneficial. Great care is, however, necessary to ensure the soil being thoroughly moistened. Protection from mice and birds must be afforded in some such manner as by coating the seeds with red lead; and an occasional shading of the bed in very warm weather might be advocated. There are not a few kinds of seeds, such as those with a hard covering, that it is almost imperative to steep in water before sowing. Larch seed, in particular, can be soaked for a week without fear or harm, and many leguminous seeds for two or three days with great advantage. Some seeds do not come up until the second year, such as the ash, pyrus, thorn, etc., and in these cases it is but a waste of ground to sow them as collected. They should be mixed with sand, as before directed, and stored away for a year before being sown. It should also be remembered that, as a rule, the sooner seeds are sown after being collected, the stronger will be the young plants. Soon after germination, hand weeding must be commenced, and this may most successfully be performed after a shower of rain, as the young plants then suffer less from loosening of the soil, consequent on pulling out the weeds, than would be the case in dry and warm weather. The above method of raising plants from seeds will be found suitable in most cases, but in respect of choice or half-hardy trees the shelter afforded by a frame is usually provided. In this case the seeds are sown in pots or shallow boxes, according to quantity, and placed in an unheated frame. The best time for seed-sowing is from the first to the fifteenth of April. Transplanting the young seedlings may be taken in hand usually after the first year, but no hard and fast line can be laid down, so much depending on the season and rate of growth of the young plants. The experienced eye can always tell when seedlings should be lined out. The best time for this operation is after the spring frosts are at an end, for, if planted out in the autumn, the frost is apt to lift the tiny seedlings wholesale from the ground. After this they should be transplanted at least every second year until planted out permanently. =By Cuttings.=—Propagating trees and shrubs from cuttings is at once a simple and inexpensive way of getting up a stock of such kinds as may be increased in that way. The best months are August and September, at which time the temperature of the earth and air are equal, and roots are most readily emitted.