HONEY LOCUST 325 



twenty-five years of age, sometimes earlier. The seeds are 

 in pods, it is a legume, and they should be gathered 

 in the fall and placed where they can dry out, when the 

 pods can be readily broken and the seeds will fall out. The 

 seeds may be sown in the fall or stratified in moist sand. 

 Freezing will not injure them, but they should not be allowed 

 to become very dry. If kept until spring, they should be 

 placed in hot water and kept warm until the seeds swell, 

 and as soon as that occurs they must be planted, for any 

 drying or delay then will prove fatal. It may be necessary 

 to renew the hot water several times, removing all that have 

 swollen before this is done. They can be planted in the 

 seed-bed in rows six inches apart and two inches apart in 

 the row, and from one half to three fourths of an inch deep. 

 The soil should be kept moist until the plants are well 

 established. If all things are favorable, the seedlings may 

 reach a height of ten or twelve inches the first year. They 

 can be removed from the seed-bed when one or two years 

 old, depending upon the condition of the ground into which 

 they are to be placed. Transplanting in the nursery is not 

 necessary, although it would strengthen the plants and aid 

 them in overcoming adverse conditions when placed in the 

 forest. There should be slight loss in transplanting, if done 

 with reasonable care. Commercial nurserymen find no diffi- 

 culty in growing this tree from seed. It is not attacked by 

 borers, and so far as known has no fungus disease, nor is 

 it attacked by any insect. 



It is not known just what distance the trees should be 

 placed apart in the forest. This must be governed by the 

 character of the soil the poorer the soil the closer they 

 should be set. It must be remembered that they are emi- 

 nently light-demanding and should be placed close enough 

 to overcome the tendency to throw out limbs. Probably 

 from four to six feet apart, according to the character of 

 the soil, would be about right. If set too thick, thinning 

 will remedy it, but no treatment can overcome the mistake 

 of planting too far apart. 



