1891.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 259 



would in the open seed bed, at the end of the second year after trans- 

 planting they are ahead of those of the same age grown in the 

 ordinary way, and with no failures. Nine years ago we trans- 

 planted from the seed boxes to a hill-side, in sod ground with no 

 preparation except to turn over the sod with a spade where each 

 tree was to go, some hundreds of oaks one year old ; and to-day 

 they are fine young trees, from six to nine feet high, well formed, 

 and much more vigorous than those grown in the nursery, which 

 have had a great amount of care and labor bestowed upon them. 

 I believe that, if many of our early planters had used this system 

 in growing oaks, hickories and other hard-wood trees, they would 

 not have had so many failures to complain of. 



lu the first place, procure a lot of common boxes, such as may 

 be had at any grocery store ; any kind of boxes will do, though a 

 uniform size is best, as they occupy less space in a six-foot frame, 

 when packed away, than boxes of various sizes would. I usually 

 get those that have contained canned goods or soap, as they are 

 nearly equal in size, and with two cuts of a splitting-saw you have 

 from each box three flats, from three to four inches deep, which is 

 a good depth for any ordinary seed. With a half-inch auger bore 

 three or four holes in the bottom of each box, for drainage. This 

 will be sufficient for large-rooted plants, while the finer seeds will 

 require to be well drained with broken pots, coarse sittings of 

 peat, or any coarse material that will allow the moisture to pass 

 off readily. As soon as the seeds are ripe,. in the fall, get together 

 a good pile of compost, made as follows : two parts rotten sod, 

 one part peat and one of sand, and, if the seeds to be sown are 

 oak, hickory, beech, chestnut or walnut, add a portion of good 

 rotten manure. For such seeds as 1 have mentioned, fill your 

 boxes two-thirds full of the compost, and press down firmly with 

 a board or the band. Sow the seeds evenly, and press them down 

 in the soil, covering them from half an inch to an inch in depth, 

 according to their size. On one corner of each box smooth off 

 a place with a plane or knife, rub over with white lead, and write 

 the name of the seed and the date of sowing. * This takes only a 

 few minutes, and is of much value afterwards, especially where 

 a great variety of seeds is sown. It is much better than labeling 

 in the ordinary way, and there is no danger of the record being 

 lost in moving the boxes from one position to the other. The 

 finest seeds, such as maples, elms, birches, alders and others, 

 should be covered, according to the size of the seeds, about their 

 own diameter. After sowing, the seeds should have a good 

 watering with a fine rose, to settle the soil. The boxes can then 

 be piled four or five deep in a pit, the sashes placed in it, and at 



