358 The Ruffed Grouse 



seed trees every few days during the ripening season will assure 

 accurate determination of the best collecting time. 



Cones of the pines and spruces should be taken just before they 

 open. When squirrels begin cutting off the cones and dropping a 

 few to the ground, maturity of seed is indicated. Red pine cones 

 turn a deep purple, with brown on the scale tips at ripening, while 

 those of white pine turn yellowish-green with brown scale tips. Ma- 

 turity of these pine cones may also be ascertained by their specific 

 gravity. When the majority of red pine cones float in kerosene, they 

 are ready for picking. White pine cones may be picked when they 

 float in linseed oil. The best method of verffying the maturity of 

 spruce cones is by the general browning of the cone scales. Pine 

 cones can be removed most easily by using either hand or pole 

 pruners. The spruces and arborvitae are best gathered by hand pick- 

 ing or raking onto a tarpaulin. 



Since maple seeds are winged and disperse quite widely upon 

 falling it is generally advisable to collect from the tree. In towns it 

 may be more eflBcient to collect from places of concentration such as 

 gutters. Tree collection is done by hand stripping from ladders from 

 the outside of tlie tree canopy. 



Oak acorns can easily be raked up from the ground after they 

 have fallen. Since the acorns of white oak start germinating imme- 

 diately after falling, they should be gathered promptly. 



Fruits, nuts, or seeds of most shrubs and vines may be collected 

 with httie trouble either from the ground or from the plants by the 

 aid of stepladders. Of the shrubs listed in Table 12 the hazelnut 

 and dogwoods require the most careful watching. The dogwoods 

 drop much of their fruit quickly upon maturing while the hazelnuts 

 are gathered quickly by squirrels. Fruits of the other species remain 

 on the plant long enough so that speed of collection is not lu-gent. 

 Rose, bayberry, bittersweet, and the siunacs generally remain for 

 some months while the others hang at least one or two months dur- 

 ing which collections may be made. 



A word of caution in respect to handling quantities of freshly col- 

 lected fruit. Keep them well aerated, especially when in contain- 

 ers, in order to prevent decomposition through heating. 



The times for collection of seeds given in Table 12 are general 

 and will vary some according to location and weather conditions. 



