PROPAGATION OF TREES AND SHRUBS FROM SEED. 151 



to three feet if to be cultivated by Iiorse-power. The reason I pre- 

 fer the short rows is that in beds so ph^nted you can keep the soil 

 well stirred betw^een them, which yon cannot well do when sown 

 broadcast ; they are also easier to shade and water, if necessary', 

 than the long nursery rows, and in the fall they are much more 

 easily protected. 



Sowing. — The seeds should never be sown when the ground is 

 wet, or when it is raining ; the soil at the time of sowing should 

 be neither wet nor dry, but in such condition that it can be raked 

 without clogging. If sown when wet the soil is apt to bake hard, 

 and a great many seeds will scarcely come through, while, on the 

 other hand, if the soil is too dry the seed is apt to work out unless 

 covered deeper than is desirable. 



A supply of water should always be at hand ready to use during 

 dry weather on all light-rooted plants ; but for large, deep-rooted 

 plants this is unnecessary, except in protracted drouglits. It is 

 also well to have a number of light lath screens to shelter the most 

 delicate plants from the hot sun. Having the ground well prepared, 

 and all else necessary, we can begin sowing as soon as we can get 

 the seed. If in the fall, we begin with tlie oaks, as acorns do not 

 long retain their vitality, out of the ground. Neither does the seed 

 of chestnut, chinquapin, hickory, or beech. To insure good 

 success these must all be planted, or put in boxes of earth, as 

 soon as possible. If sown broadcast the nuts should be scat- 

 tered thinly and evenly over the bed, pressed down with a light 

 wooden roller, or the back of a spade, and covered a little more 

 than the diameter of the seed, — which would be nearly an inch for 

 beech, chestnut, and oak, and from one to two inches for hickorj'^, 

 black walnut, butternut, and horse chestnut. If the same seeds 

 are sown in drills they should be from two to three inches deep, 

 and from one to two inches apart in the row. If not pressed down 

 they will need from half an inch to an inch more covering than 

 those pressed down. Some prefer to make shallow drills with a 

 plough and sow the nuts very thickly ; this will give a great many 

 more plants to a given space, but they will not be so strong. 



The Maples, with the exception of Acer ruhrum and Acer dasy- 

 carpuni (these two species ripen their fruit in May and June), 

 should be sown as soon as possible after gathering, and, whether 

 in drills or broadcast, should not be covered more than twice their 

 diameter. If covered too deei) they sprout and rot, not having 

 strength enough to break through a great depth of soil. If maple 



