SEED SOWING SUGGESTIONS 25 



of pines and spruces will be germinated sufficiently so that the mold 

 can be removed. Seeds of evergreens are light. A pound of white 

 pine will average 15,000 to 20,000 seeds and one of red pine 28,000 to 

 30,000, and if the seed is fresh the larger proportion should grow. 

 In small batches evergreen tree seeds can be sown in pans or shallow 

 flats in an ordinary greenhouse. All evergreens do not start so 

 readily as those named however, and in the cases of most of the 

 junipers and yews, germination is slow, seeds frequently not starting 

 until the second year. As between sowing seeds of the slow germi- 

 nating ones in fall or spring the former season is best if a greenhouse 

 is at command, the seeds being then fresher. 



Rhododendrons, kalmias, andromedas, callunas, ericas, and 

 azaleas start best in pans of sandy peat, over which a thin layer of 

 fine dry sphagnum moss is screened; the seed can be sown over 

 this, and water then applied through a fine rose; seed will germinate 

 much better sown on moss than direct on the soil ; a temperature of 

 55° will suit those seeds in the early stages of growth. 



Nuts of various kinds, also acorns, are better sown soon after 

 harvesting and exposed to frost which loosens the shells and makes 

 germination more easy. If not sown in late fall, it is better to carry 

 them over winter in moist sand. Fruits of many plants including 

 cotoneasters, hawthorns, hollies, loniceras, pyrus, and other fruiting 

 varieties, should be stratified in dry sand if not sown in late fall 

 outdoors or in the greenhouse; if outdoors they must be mulched. 

 Freezing undoubtedly advances the time of germination of many 

 seeds, but seed beds and pans will in many cases require to be kept 

 a second season, as a large number will not start the first year. 

 The longer seeds of this kind are kept in a dry state, the slower they 

 will be in starting. 



On the other hand many deciduous shrubs like buddleias, lilacs, 

 deutzias, spiraeas, and viburnums come very readily from seeds. 

 Shallow flats or pans containing sandy loam seem adaptable to 

 about all tree and shrub seeds except the members of the ericaceae 

 family which prefer a peaty soil. Elms, maples, and lindens all 

 come easily from seeds which can be sown either in fall or spring. 

 There are some slow and fussy subjects amongst trees and shrubs 

 just as there are amongst other plants. It would take too long 

 to mention each specifically; as a general rule trees and shrubs are 



