46 TREES IN WINTER 



CHAPTEE II 

 THE PROPAGATION OF TREES. 



PROPAGATION FROM SEEDS. 



Nature's Way — The natural way for trees to reproduce 

 their kind is by seeds. The trees in the virgin forest 

 have been produced from seeds and without the aid of man. The 

 moist iloor of the forest offers favorable conditions for the germi- 

 nation of seed and the growth of the seedlings. There is not 

 room for the development of all the trees that commence growths 

 Only the strongest and most favorably situated individuals survive 

 and the less fortunate ones are overshadowed and are lost in the 

 struggle. 



Since there is room in the forest for the development of only 

 a limited number of trees, nature has adopted wonderful methods 

 for the desemination of seeds far beyond the limits of the forest. 

 Some specimens that commonly grow along streams make use of 

 the water to carry their seeds to distant places down stream. This 

 probably accounts for the rows of Carolina Poplars and Sycamores 

 along certain river banks and on areas that are usually flooded in 

 the spring. The seeds of many other species are scattered by 

 animals. Is it not probable that the Hickories and other nut trees 

 commonly found growing along stone walls have come from the 

 nuts accidentally dropped by squirrels on their way to their nest- 

 ing places? Birds are often responsible for the desemination of 

 fleshy or berry-like seeds of such species as the Mulberry, Hack- 

 berry, Sassafras, Dogwood, Mountain Ash, Hawthorn, Shadbush, 

 Holly, Juniper, Cedar and the Cherries. 



The most common agency for the desemination of seeds is the 

 wind. The seeds of many species are equipped with peculiar de- 

 vices by which they may be carried various distances from the 

 parent trees. The Hop Hornbeam seeds carry balloons (see p. 277) 

 and the Sycamore seeds parachutes. The seeds of the Catalpa fly 

 in a monoplane (see p. 429) and those of the Elm and Ailanthus 

 sail through the air on flimsy rafts, (see p. 391). The seeds of the 

 Birches are constructed in the form of tiny birds (see p. 287), while 

 those of the Maples (see p. 403) are supplied with wings resem- 



