SMALL NURSERIES.
One cannot visit any well-worked and scientifically man- aged fruit or flower farm without wondering why more amateur •gardeners, especially smaller and poorer gardeners, do not keep a plant nursery of their own. On one fruit farm quite fantastic yields have been secured, for instance, from blackcurrants, largely because the bushes have been multi- plied by cuttings taken off the best bearers, and those only. If anyone has any bush that bears better than others he can, with great ease, grade up the whole of his small fruit orchard to that level. You can scarcely prevent a gooseberry or currant from taking root ; and cuttings inevitably pass on the quality of the bush. It is, therefore, much easier to grade up fruit than say, hens -or cattle ; but strangely few people are at pains- to take cuttings from the best fruit-bearers. Let every gardener make a good autumn resolution to take more cuttings and a good summer resolution to note which bushes deserve the honour of multiplication. Many of us multiply the sorts we like, but seldom remember to choose only the most productive-
bushes. * * * *
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