FRUIT GROWING 27 



Towards the end of the dormant period as the ground is becoming 

 warm and still has plenty of moisture. 



Starting Acacia Seed. 



What is the proper time and manner of planting the seed, and the 

 care and cultivation of the plants during the growing season? 



Acacia seed has a hard shell and the germ has to be helped out. 

 During the rainy season, pour actually boiling water on the seed and 

 let it stand till cool. Then sow in sandy loam in seed boxes or in the 

 open ground, partly shaded from too much sun at first by a brush or 

 lath cover. Cover the seed lightly and keep the soil moist, but not wet. 

 Keep the surface mellow after the seedlings appear and irrigate during 

 the first summer. 



Maple Trees from Cuttings. 



Can I start trees from maple branches planted in a wet sandy place 

 as one does willows or poplar trees? 



Yes; many maple species start readily from cuttings not so 

 responsively usually as willows and poplars, but quite well. Take 

 well-matured wood of the previous year's growth and put them in such 

 a place as you describe toward the end of winter when the ground 

 has lost its danger of standing water and begun to warm up a little. 

 The cuttings should be dormant. But maples grow so readily and 

 quickly from seed, that the cutting method is not much used. We 

 would prefer to sow in the fall such fresh, well-ripened seed as we 

 could gather than to depend on cuttings. 



