THE ALDER 103 



the leaves do not appear till the end of April or the 

 first half of May. The male catkins are from two to 

 four inches long, and of a dark red colour, from the 

 shield-like scales which protect the anthers and 

 their pollen from rain and premature winds ; whilst 

 those bearing the female flowers are seldom an 

 inch in length, and resemble miniature Fir - cones 

 of a reddish brown hue. When the small winged 

 fruits have been ripened and set free, the woody 

 bracts hanging in catkins on the bare boughs still 

 more forcibly suggest this resemblance. 



The Alder can be reproduced either by layers, 

 or by large cuttings, or " truncheons," two or three 

 feet long. These it is recommended to leave during 

 a winter and spring with their ends in water before 

 planting. The tree is, however, preferably multi- 

 plied by seed. The cones should be gathered in 

 dry weather, when their scales are beginning to 

 open ; and the seeds are best sown in November 

 or December, in soil not exceptionally moist, and 

 kept covered with Pine-needles, or other light dry 

 litter, until April, when the seedlings will be fairly 

 up. These may be transplanted in the nursery 

 when a year old, and planted out at two years 

 old. 



The glossiness of its foliage gives the chief value 

 to the Alder in a landscape. Folded in the bud 

 like a fan, and enclosed by two pale-coloured 

 " stipules," the leaves are at first hairy, as well as 

 glutinous. They can thus shoot oft' moisture that 

 might induce decay in the buds, or subject them 

 to the action of frost. They somewhat resemble 



