80 ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 



can be opened by gently heating them over a stove or in an 

 oven to a temperature of from 100 to 150 degrees Fahr. Seeds 

 of this class grow readily when sown, but must be very carefully 

 stored or they will lose their vitality. They should be kept simi- 

 larly to the seed of the Ash and Boxelder, but are more liable 

 to injury than these kinds from too much moisture or heat, and 

 for this reason some careful growers prefer to always keep them 

 mixed with dry sand in a cool shed. 



The seeds of the Red Cedar hang on the tree all winter, and 

 must be picked by hand. They should be soaked in strong lye 

 for twenty-four hours, the fleshy covering removed by rubbing 

 them against a fine sieve, and then stratified in sand, where they 

 will be frozen during the winter. Even with this treatment they 

 will seldom grow until the second year. 



Raising Coniferous Trees from Seed. The land selected 

 for sowing the seed should have a light, porous surface soil, 

 preferably underlaid with a moist subsoil that will not dry out 

 easily. It should be so located as to have good circulation of 

 air over it, that the plants may dry ort quickly after rains, and it 

 must be so shaded as to keep off about one-half of the sunlight. 

 This latter permits a play of light and shade over the bed all 

 day, and is about the condition under which we find nature rais- 

 ing such seedlings where trees partially shade the ground and 

 protect them from the constant rays of the sun. In practice we 

 aim to secure these conditions as follows: A piece of well 

 drained, rather sandy soil, in an airy place, is selected, and laid 

 out in beds four feet wide. In May the seeds are sown rather 

 thickly (about three good seeds to a square inch), either broad- 

 cast or in rows, and covered with about one-fourth inch of sandy 

 loam and then with about one-fourth inch of clear sand. Some 

 of the smaller seeds, like those of White Spruce, should not be 

 covered more than one-fourth inch. Before the seedlings break 

 the ground, a framework, six feet above the beds, is made, and 

 covered with laths, laid about one and one-half inches apart, 

 running north and south, or with sufficient brush to shut out 

 about one-half the sunlight. If the bed is very much exposed 

 to the winds it should have similar protection on all sides. In 

 such a place as this, or in woodlands where these conditions can 

 be fulfilled, evergreens can be raised with much certainty, while 

 if planted in the open ground most kinds are sure to fail. 



