39 



There are some seeds that ripen early in summer and will not keep 

 well, consequently have to be sown immediately when gathered so that 

 the young plants may attain some size and strength before winter. Of 

 these the silver maple, elm, and poplar may be mentioned. Silver- 

 maple seed is usually ripe in May, and if then sown young plants from 

 2 to 4 feet in height will be produced before winter. 



Small see' Is, and those which are light and chaffy, such as seeds of 

 the alder, birch, sycamore, paulownia, mulberry, and tulip tree, as 

 also some of the later-ripening winged seeds, as the sugar maple, 

 negundo, and the species of ash, should be gathered when ripe, and 

 spread thinly in an airy, shady situation to partially dry, then stored 

 in coarse bags in a cool place until wanted for sowing in spring. Larch, 

 pine, and seeds of coniferous plants generally should be kept in a 

 similar manner during winter. Seeds of the tulip tree should be sown 

 very thickly, as they are mostly very imperfect. 



To succeed in raising healthy plants it is essentially necessary that 

 the seed should be sown in deeply worked loamy soil. It should not 

 only be deeply pulverized, but also as rich and fertile as it can be made. 

 No half-way measures should be tolerated in a thoroughly good prepara- 

 tion of the soil ; as a general rule there is altogether too little account 

 made of this greatest source of success, and numerous failures at rais- 

 ing plants from seeds are clearly traced to the use of poor, thin soil, 

 while the want of success is attributed to the poor quality of the seeds, 

 or reflections are cast upon the reliability and good faith oftho.se who fur- 

 nished them. The most convenient method for after culture is to sow in 

 drills. The distance between the drills will be guided by circumstances. 

 If hand culture only is to be employed, 18 inches apart will be a good dis- 

 tance for most tree seeds, although some of the finer or smaller kinds and 

 such as require several years' growth before the plants become large 

 enough for removal may be placed closer. All the pine family belong 

 to this class. The depth of covering will also be regulated by the size 

 of the seed and to some extent to the kind of soil and the situation. On 

 sandy soils the covering may be deeper than when the soil is liable to 

 form a crust on the surface after rains. This character of the soil is 

 not well fitted for raising young plants in dry climates, unless rains 

 can be prevented from beating on the surface immediately above the 

 seeds. Acorns and the larger kinds of nuts should be covered with 

 about 2 inches of soil, and if this covering is composed of light mold 

 and sand, somewhat firmly pressed over the seeds, moisture will be 

 secured more uniformly, and the young shoots will meet with no im- 

 pediment in their growth ; a slight covering of short straw or chaff may 

 be used to great advantage if carefully removed after vegetation has 

 started. Chaff is an admirable covering for seeds, and only the most 

 slender growths will require its removal. 



Light and small seeds, such as those of the birch, catalpa, paulow- 

 nia, and mulberry, should be sown on the surface of the soil, which is 



