FOE ARTIFICIAL EEPRODUCTIOX. 555 



If the season for the natural fall of the fruit or shedding of 

 the seed is at hand, this may be effected artificially by shaking 

 the fruit-bearing branches [on to a cloth spread on the ground 

 or held under the tree. — Tr.], a method used in collecting 

 hornbeam or ash seed, and especially for beech-nuts. In the 

 latter case, the stems of the trees are sometimes struck with 

 axe-heads ; this should never be done to young trees, and 

 though not hurtful to old trees ripe for the axe, is not then 

 very effective. 



(c) Gathering Fruits from Felled Trees.— This can obviously be 

 effected only on felling-areas, in the case of winter-felled trees. 

 It is possible only for trees the ripe fruit of which remains 

 hanging on the trees during winter, such as Scotch pine, spruce, 

 larch, and sometimes alder and ash. According to the extent of 

 the felling-areas, a large quantity of fruit may often be thus 

 harvested in the cheapest possible manner. 



(d) Collecting Seeds from the Surface of Stagnant Water. — 

 This is done only for seed of the common alder. Alder trees 

 growing on the banks of lakes and ponds, which usually pro- 

 duce abundance of fruit, shed most of their seed into the water, 

 where it is blown by the wind into the still water of bays and 

 inlets and may be artificially collected by placing fascines at the 

 outlet of the sheet of water. The floating seed collects in 

 masses in front of the fascines and may be easily collected in 

 linen purse-nets. It must then be carefully dried. 



(e) Cost of Harvesting the Seed. — The forest owner may, in 

 various ways, either harvest the seed for his own use or sell the 

 crop. In the former case, he may collect it by daily labour or 

 piece-work ; he may give the crop to a dealer on condition of 

 receiving a sufficient supply for his own requirements, or lease 

 the whole crop. 



It is only seeds of subordinate species of trees used in mixed 

 woods that are collected by daily labour, for it is then rare that 

 seed is required in large quantities. This is the case, for in- 

 stance, with sycamore and other maples, ash, elm, hornbeam, 

 and lime, and to a certain extent with birch. It is always 

 better to collect seed by piece-work and pay according to the 

 quantity collected. Whenever it is desirable to collect the whole 

 available crop of seed in a wood, the rate paid per pound must 



