48 TREES IN WINTER 



handling and storing of tree seeds^ the price usually is very high. 

 According to the reports of the United States Bureau of Forestry, 

 a pound of Larch seed costs from $12.00 to $16.00, White Pine 

 from $1.50 to $3.00, Sugar Maple .75c to $1.00, and White Oak 

 from 10c. to 25c. The forest planter, therefore, would do well 

 to collect his own seed and thus obviate this unnecessary expense. 



In the collecting of seeds it is usually necessary to climb the 

 trees. The seeds are either picked by hand or are shaken or beaten 

 off and collected in large sheets on the ground. The practice of 

 cutting down trees for the purpose of obtaining their seed should 

 be discouraged. Some species, like the Chestnut, the Beech, the 

 Hickories, the Oaks, the Walnuts, and the Butternut, are more 

 easily gathered after severe frosts. The work of gathering seed, 

 however, extends from April to November, according to the spe- 

 cies. The season for some species, like the Birches, the Maples, 

 the Elms, the Poplars and the Willows, is very short, while that for 

 others, like the Common and Honey Locusts, the Catalpa, the Box 

 Elder, the Kentucky Coffee Tree, the Sycamore, and the Ashes, 

 is more extended and may stretch far into the winter. It is diffi- 

 cult to state definitely the exact time when seeds of the various 

 species should be collected. Of course they should not be gath- 

 ered until they are ripe, and to avoid loss it is usually advisable 

 to collect them as promptly as possible after they reach this con- 

 dition. Some species must be gathered promptly after reaching 

 maturity if they are to be saved at all. Others if left either on the 

 tree or on the ground are likely to be carried away by squirrels. 



Storing Seeds — As a rule, seeds that mature before mid-summer 

 should be sown when gathered. Those that mature later 

 than August first should be stored until spring. Large seeds like 

 the nuts and acorns may be stored in earth outside or in a cold 

 cellar. The smaller seeds, except those of Evergreens, may be 

 stored in boxes in thin layers between layers of sand. The boxes 

 should be buried outside in the ground or placed in a cold cellar. 

 The seed of Evergreens requires a cool, dry place and is usually 

 placed in sacks and hung in cold sheds or barns. Some seeds need 

 to be subjected to frost before they will germinate and develop 

 properly. Others require two or more years contact with the 

 soil before they will germinate. These cases aie exceptions. 



