PKOPAGATION. 101 



elder and V/hite Ash about ten thousand; in Basswood 

 and Sugar Maple about eight thousand; in Soft Maple 

 about four thousand; in Black Walnut about twenty 

 of the dry nuts in one pound and in Hickory Nuts from 

 forty to six t}^ in a pound. 



It is Important to Keep the Soil Loose and Mellow 

 between the seedlings, and to keep the weeds very care- 

 fully removed until at least the middle of July, after which 

 they may sometimes be left to advantage to afford winter 

 protection; but in the case of very small seedlings this 

 protection is best given by a light mulch, put on in autumn 

 and taken off in spring, and the weeds should be kept 

 out. 



If the Seeds of Red Cedar, Black Thorn, Mountain 

 Ash, and other seeds that require a long time to start 

 are sowti in the spring and do not germinate, it is a good 

 plan to cover the bed with about an inch or two of haj^ 

 or leaves, keep out weeds, and let this mulch remain 

 until the following spring, when the seeds will probably 

 be in condition to grow, and the mulch should then be 

 removed. 



CUTTINGS. 



Cuttings are Pieces of the Branches or Roots which have 

 the power of growing and forming new plants when placed 

 in moist sand, soil, or other material. For example, the 

 pieces of the twigs on branches of many kinds of Willows 

 and Poplars, when taken while the tree is dormant, will 

 root when placed in moist soil, but there are few other 

 trees that grow as readily from cuttings as these. Cut- 

 tings of the roots of many kinds of trees, as the White 

 Poplar, Wild Plum, Yellow Locust, and many others that 

 sprout from the roots, will grow if treated about the same 

 way as branch cuttings. 



In growing plants from cuttings, the source of the cut- 



