88 Forests and Trees 



the other two sowings are perfectly hardy and standing 

 green to the top, or an occasional one killing back a few 

 inches. The reason for this difference seems to be that the 

 seed which was purchased was imported from the south. 

 Removing the leaves from the young shoots early in the 

 fall might allow the wood to harden, but such treatment 

 could not be continued. The result is that the trees which 

 are not hardy will have to be dug out. Some trees while 

 perfectly hardy in a northern climate do not mature their 

 seeds. Seed of basswood, collected in Manitoba, has al- 

 ways shown a very low percentage of germination when 

 I have tried it. It is doubtful if the seed of either 

 the hackberry or the silver maple grown in Manitoba will 

 germinate, at least it would be safe to say that only an 

 exceedingly small percentage will do so. At the southern 

 end of Lake Manitoba there is an area where the hack- 

 berry grows, mixed with green ash and Manitoba maples. 

 The trees are all fairly mature and there are no seedlings. 

 Any that appear younger than the others seem to be shoots 

 from old roots. They produce a limited quantity of seed, 

 but it does not germinate, although the ash and maple seed 

 produce abundance of seedlings. 



At Portage la Prairie, and at many other places in the 

 Red River Valley, the silver maple grows well. The tree 

 seems perfectly hardy and produces seed. I have 

 tried to germinate this seed and failed, and also failed 

 to find any growing in cultivated ground quite close to 

 mature trees. Seedlings of the Manitoba maple were 

 growing in thousands, but most careful search failed to 



