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be either gathered and sown immediately, or preserved in a dry 

 loft and sown in spring." " It is scarcely possible," observes Savy, 

 " to cover birch seeds too little, if they be covered at all." The 

 plants, if sown in autumn, will come up in March or April follow- 

 ing. If sown in spring, they will come up in May or June, which, 

 in very cold climates, is the preferable season. 



" Young birch plants, taken out of coppice woods 



when about two years old, are found to root much better than 

 seedlings of the same age and size, taken out of a regular seed 

 bed ; doubtless because, in the latter case, a greater portion of the 

 tap root requires to be cut off." 



"In France and Germany, plantations of birch are 



frequently made by sowing the seed where the trees are intended 

 finally to remain. For this purpose, the poorest soils are harrowed 

 in humid weather, in the month of October or of November, and 

 fifteen pounds of seed, as it is taken from the catkins along with 

 the scales, is sown on an acre, and afterwards covered with a bush 



harrow It is observed by Michaux, that burnt soil is 



peculiarly favorable to the growth of the birch, which, in America, 

 re-appears as by enchantment, in forests that have been burnt 

 down." 



The pines are most readily propagated by seed If 



the trees are to be propagated artificially, the seed must be de- 

 posited on or near the surface ; it should not be buried beneath, 

 or in case this is absolutely necessary, as when they are sown in 

 open fields, the covering should not exceed an eighth of an inch, 

 and should be light and loose. A soil and surface formed by the 

 decay of the leaves of deciduous trees is best, as it is precisely 



that in which the seed naturally vegetates All pines 



require to be cultivated in large masses. They naturally grow 

 thus, and although, when so growing, they seem to be extremely 

 hardy, they do not thrive when solitary, but are parched by the 

 sun, and stunted by the cold and wind. 



The cones, which are mature after one, two, or three seasons, 

 may be gathered in the winter, as the scales do not usually open 



to allow the seeds to escape till the spring The best 



time for sowing the seeds is early in the spring, as soon as the 



frost is out of the ground When poor, thin, rocky or 



sandy soil is to be clothed with wood, and it is important to save 



