ELEMENTARY FORESTRY 369 



5. Seeds borne in pods. — The locusts and coffee tree, the 

 catalpa, the Judas tree, and acacias have hard, dry seeds, 

 difficult and slow to germinate, which they scatter to the 

 winds. 



Taking our primary suggestions from the trees them- 

 selves, we may next ask the children to observe, in case of 

 certain trees in the neighborhood, about how many of 

 their seeds produce trees. Is the small proportion due 

 to failure in securing favorable conditions to germinate, 

 or are the seedlings dried up or overgrown with weeds 

 before they become strong enough to take care of them- 

 selves ? We may answer this question in a general way 

 by saying that the trees have done their best to secure 

 the germination of the seeds, but that they are forced to 

 depend largely on accidents of wind and water. These 

 may take them to unsuitable places, may bury them too 

 deep, or leave them exposed to dry up. What, then, may 

 we do to assist the trees in their work ? We may help 

 them save their seeds, we may plant them under the most 

 favorable conditions, and protect the seedlings until they 

 are strong enough to take care of themselves. 



Methods of saving tree seeds is a large subject, and I 

 shall give only a few hints, in the hope that they may be 

 helpful in making a beginning.^ 



The first fact to bear in mind is that most tree seeds 

 lose their vitality rapidly and hence should be planted 

 as soon as possible after ripening. Drying is the thing 

 chiefly to be guarded against, especially with nuts, acorns, 

 and similar seeds ; these and fall-ripening seeds may best 



^ For further instructions, see Forestry in Minnesota, Samuel B. Green, 

 Delano, Minn., 1898. 



