56 NURSERY MANAGEMENT 



minative power, it may be sown rather thicker than is recom- 

 mended above. 



Sowing should only be carried out when the soil is dry and 

 in a fine state of division. 



Germination is hastened if the seeds are kept wet for some 

 time before sowing, twelve hours is enough for most species, 

 but larch seed should be kept in a wet state for five or six 

 days. It is also a good plan to roll the seeds in red lead while 

 still wet, as this will, to a large extent, prevent their being 

 eaten by mice and birds ; and when thus coloured red it is 

 easier to see that they are not sown too thickly. The seeds 

 should not be sown till the red lead has become fairly dry, so 

 that they do not stick together and fall in a lump. 



Quality of seeds. It is very important to sow only good 

 seed. As a general rule it is best to collect the seed of 

 broad-leaved species from the home woods, and, if this is done, 

 it should only be collected from well-grown, middle-aged 

 trees. Seeds of common elm and of sweet chestnut are best 

 obtained from abroad, as they seldom ripen in English woods. 

 Elm, in fact, is usually propagated from suckers and not from 

 seed. 



The preparation of conifer seeds is a somewhat troublesome 

 business, and it is generally best and cheapest to buy them 

 from some firm of good reputation. If collected in the home 

 woods the cones should be laid on shelves in a warm room 

 to open. 



A sample of the seeds to be sown may be tested in the 

 following way. Place a piece of damp flannel across a dish 

 with one end in another dish full of water. Put 100 of the 

 seeds to be tested on this flannel and cover them with a second 

 damp flannel. Keep them in a warm room at an even tem- 

 perature. Examine daily and remove all seeds as they germi- 

 nate, carefully counting the number. Seed may be considered 

 good if a carefully carried out test shows that the percentage 

 given in the table have germinated. 



