PROPAGATION. | 19 
or trench when ready for the seeds.) Make the trench 
about one foot wide; scatter the seeds over the bottom, 
but not too thickly, say one to two inches apart, and then 
draw the soil back and cover the seeds as evenly as possi- 
ble. These seed-beds or wide drills should be four feet 
apart if a cultivator is to be used among them; if not, and 
only the hoe or spading-fork is to be employed in culti- 
vation, then two feet will be sufficient. All that will now 
be required is to keep the soil loose between the rows, and 
keep them clear of weeds, keeping in mind that, like other 
crops, better the care, the better results. The smaller the 
seeds the less they should be covered, although some small 
seeds will bear covering much deeper than some large 
ones. Maple, Elm, Oak, Beech, Tulip, ete., not more than 
a half inch, while Hickory, Chestnut, and Black Walnut 
about one inch. I sometimes sow the coarser seeds in 
single drills, having only one row instead of the wide bed ; 
in this case the corner of the hoe is only used to make the 
trench. 
Where there is no scarcity of land, the single drill is in 
some respects preferable, as it is less trouble in weeding, 
and the plants will usually grow larger than when sown 
more thickly. Still, the wide drill has its advantages, for 
more plants can be grown on an acre; besides, the plants 
shade one another, and thereby are not quite so lable to 
be burned by the sun, as in single drills. There are, how- 
ever, but few kinds that are liable to be damaged by 
burning, even in our hottest weather, and these should be 
grown in a half shady position. Some varieties are bene- 
fited by being partially shaded when they first appear 
