PROPAGATION BY SPORES 207 



having hard seed coats are stored by stratifying them in 

 moist sand and burying out of doors. This is called seed 

 stratification. 



Seed Stratification. To stratify seeds, a well-drained 

 spot is first selected. Then the seeds are buried in layers 

 alternating with sand at such a depth that they will freeze, 

 but not be subject to alternating freezing and thawing. 

 Small seeds may be placed in a shallow box with very fine 

 sand and the box buried out of doors. Many seeds do 

 not germinate the first year and by stratifying them, the 

 space that they would otherwise occupy in the field is 

 saved. It is only a waste of ground to sow such seeds in 

 the soil the first year. Fall sowing of apples and peaches 

 amounts to the same thing as stratification. It is always 

 advisable to mulch with straw seeds sown at this time. 

 Seeds should be stratified as soon as possible after they 

 have matured. 



Propagation by Spores. Many of the non-flowering 

 plants, as ferns and mushrooms, do not produce seeds. 

 Instead, small spores are formed on the under surfaces 

 of the leaves. These spores differ from seeds in that they 

 do not contain an embryo or young plant, but are simply 

 one or few-celled structures. In the propagation of plants 

 from spores, the same general conditions are necessary 

 as for seeds, but moisture and drainage are of even more 

 importance. Spores are extremely small and delicate, 

 hence the depth of sowing is very important. They are 

 usually sown in pots. The pot is filled about half full 

 with broken pots or bricks and the top soil prepared ex- 

 tremely fine. Over this the spores are sprinkled. The 

 pot should be set in a saucer of water and covered with a 

 pane of glass to maintain moisture. It should then be 



