NOTES ON RAISING EXOTIC CONIFERS FROM SEED. 47 



seeds were then shaken out and cleaned, after which the seeds 

 were replaced in the frames and thoroughly dried before being 

 stored away. Cedrus Libana was the only species that would 

 not give up its seeds \ and I find that the easiest way to get the 

 seeds of this species is to gather them in May from under the 

 parent tree, as they are then being shed naturally from the cones. 

 The extracted seeds were then made up into packets, and stored 

 in a dry, cool place until they were wanted for sowing. 



They were sown in the beginning of May in boxes of sandy 

 loam with a layer of cinders in the bottom, and were placed in 

 cold frames on shelves, the surface of the soil in the boxes being 

 about 9 inches below the glass. The frames were kept closed, 

 except on hot sunny days, when a little ventilation was given 

 and they were watered. After germination, the seedlings 

 were gradually hardened off, and by the end of July I removed 

 the tops from the frames. The seedlings were left in the frames 

 all winter, being protected by mats during severe frost. In the 

 late spring they were pricked out into lines in the nursery. I may 

 add that there were practically no losses, except a few of the 

 Welli7igtonias which damped off in the autumn. 



In most cases one box of each kind was sown. The box of 

 CupressHs inacrocarpa made a wonderful growth in the first 

 season, the plants ranging from g inches to i foot in height, 

 and when two years old they were over 2 feet in height. The 

 box of C. Nutkaensis which was sown in the first week of 

 October did not germinate until twelve months afterwards. Its 

 slow germination must be kept in mind when propagating this 

 species, as one is apt to think that the seed is bad when it 

 does not germinate along with the other cypresses. 



Waiting for a young crop from this tree is a rather tedious 

 business, as, in addition to the slow germination of the seeds, 

 the cones do not come to maturity until the second year of their 

 growth. To prevent the box of seeds of this species from being 

 neglected during the first season after sowing, I filled it up with 

 seedlings taken from a box of western larch which were beginning 

 to damp off through being too thickly sown ; and in the following 

 spring this box had the appearance of a miniature well-stocked 

 larch wood, with a close growing undercrop of C. Nutkaensis, 

 these seeds having germinated well. 



Some foresters prefer to keep seeds that lie dormant until the 

 second year in sand pits for eighteen months, and then to sow them 



