CHAPTER II 



RAISING THE PLANTS 



Collection of seed — Extraction of seed — Storage of seed — Buying 

 seed— Germinative capacity of seeds — Seed tests — Size of 

 seed-beds — Making tlie beds — Methods of sowing — Protection 

 of beds against vermin, frost, and drought — Other methods of 

 propagating trees — Weeding the seed-beds — Lifting the seed- 

 lings. 



Collection of Seed. 



Seeds must be collected only from well-shaped, healthy 

 trees of middle age. The seed of young trees is usually 

 weak and immature, while the plants grown from the 

 seed of old trees are generally very inferior in vitahty. 



Unhealthy trees often bear a very heavy crop of seed, 

 but this should never be coUected. Trees grown from 

 seed of diseased trees are weak and predisposed to infec- 

 tion by the same disease, even if they do not actually 

 inherit it. 



The collection of seeds of trees such as Oak and Beech 

 entails very httle work. They can be gathered or swept 

 up from under the trees and passed through a riddle or 

 sieve with large enough mesh to allow the seeds to drop 

 through, but small enough to stop leaves, small sticks, 

 etc. The seeds of many trees, such as Scots Pine, Larch, 

 Alder, and Birch, must be picked from the trees; but if 



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