NOTIONS ON AETIFICIAL RESTOCKING. 205 



The method of harvesting must vary with the 

 species. For such trees as the oak, heech, &c., 

 whose seed is heavy, we may wait until it falls off 

 naturally. But it is advisable to reject the first 

 seeds that fall, as they are generally barren, or punc- 

 tured by insects. To this end, it will be well to rake 

 up the leaves. and bad seed, just before the moment 

 of maturity arrives. We cannot, however, wait for 

 natural dissemination in the case of trees with light 

 seeds. They must be gathered by hand as soon as 

 they are ripe, and before they fall. The seed of the 

 conifers is also hand-gathered, the silver and spruce 

 firs immediately they are ripe in the autumn, pines 

 during autumn and winter, before the warm days in 

 spring come round again. We shall show later on 

 how the seeds are extracted from the cones. 



Whatever the species, the seed must not be gath- 

 ered during rainy weather. If the seeds are heaped 

 up while wet they are apt to become heated. Even 

 when gathered on a dry day, they should not be 

 placed in a heap without being previously spread 

 out, and stirred about to remove their superfluous 

 moisture. 



Nothing is more important than the preservation 

 of seeds, and yet nothing is sometimes more difficult. 

 Besides guarding against germination, they must be 

 prevented from fermenting, rotting, or drying up. 

 Seeds of some trees can under no circumstances be 

 kept, and should therefore be sown immediately 

 after being gathered. Such are the seeds of the 

 different elms, of the birch, alder, &c. 



To prevent germination, it is sufficient to with- 



