10 



even winter. From among these trees in the neighborhood, if they 

 are the proper species, select the healthiest ones and gather their 

 seeds as soon as ripe. 



Time of Sowing. Seeds of the poplars, soft maple, white elm, 

 paper and river birch, and others maturing in summer should be 

 sown at once. They lose their power of germination in a short time. 

 Seeds of oaks, hickories, walnuts, conifers, and others which mature 

 in fall may be sown at once. The freezing and thawing of winter 

 will be beneficial to them, but the destruction by squirrels, mice, and 

 birds that is likely to occur is sufficient reason for not planting until 

 spring, if the seeds can be preserved properly. They should not be 

 allowed to dry out before planting nor should they be exposed con- 

 stantly to much moisture if they are to be kept for any length of 

 time. 



Thickness of Sowing. By making tests, either by cutting seeds or 

 by placing them between wet flannels in a warm room, so as to pro- 

 duce germination, or by some other method, the percentage of good 

 seed is determined and from this the thickness of the sowing. It is 

 very easy to sow too thick, and then the seedlings will be weak, but 

 it is cheaper to thin out, and perhaps set the young plants in other 

 ground, than to have to fill up blanks. 



Depth of Sowing. The difficulty, in too many cases, has been that 

 instead of the seeds being planted, they are buried. As a general 

 rule, for depth of cover, the diameter of the seed is sufficient, but if 

 the ground is left very loose, or if there is danger from frost late in 

 spring, a heavier covering should be given. It is well, after sowing, 

 to roll the beds or to press the ground with a spade or a board. In 

 fall sowing cover the beds with a layer of leaves. It will prevent the 

 ground from heaving during the time of frost and in the spring will 

 prevent the heavy rains from washing out the seeds. This may be 

 done to advantage, too, after spring sowing.' In both cases a careful 

 watch must be kept and as soon as the seedlings appear the leaves 

 should be raked off. Branches might then be spread thinly over 

 them to keep the birds away, but these should not be left on too long 

 so as to in any way interfere with the growth. Small seeds may be 

 coated with red lead as a protection against birds. 



Manner of Sowing. As a usual thing the smaller seeds are sown 

 broadcast in the nursery, especially those of the conifers, the ash, the 

 birch, etc. The larger seeds, as those of the oaks, hickories, walnuts, 

 etc., are usually sown in furrows, or rows, from six to twelve inches 

 apart, on the nursery beds. The latter are often sown in rows where 

 the plants will remain permanently. This may be advisable with 

 with taprooted species. Broadcast sowing over a plantation is very 

 expensive and is very seldom done. 



