1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



31 



We commend this subject of the proper 

 preparation of peat, to the attention of all eco- 

 nomical farmers in New England, where peat 

 so universally abounds, and where manures are 

 so universally needed. K. 



Concord, Mass., Oct., 1866. 



RAISING FOREST TREES. 



GATnEiiixG Seeds. — Seeds should always 

 be gathered in dry weather, and those kinds 

 which are enclosed in an outer covering, like 

 the butteinut, should be spread out in an airy 

 situation until they are quite dry, before being 

 packed lor transportation. It is also advisable 

 to (.by all tree seeds a little, but it must be va- 

 ried according to the size and natural amount 

 of moisture they contain. Those that possess 

 a large amount either in their covering or in the 

 seed proper are liable to heat if packed in close 

 air-tight boxes. Baskets and bags, or boxes 

 with small holes bored in them, should be used 

 for the purpose, especially if the seeds are to 

 remain in them for several days. Sheets of 

 paper, or layers of dry moss, may be placed 

 between the layers of seeds to absorb the mois- 

 ture, when necessary to pack the seeds before 

 they are sufficiently dry. These remarks only 

 apply to the larger seeds and those that natu- 

 rally contain considerable moisture at the time 

 of gathering. 



The smaller seeds as well as larger ones that 

 are inclosed in a dry covering, such as the al- 

 der, spi'uce, and pine, among the smaller, and 

 beech and hickory among the larger, may be 

 transported in bags, barrels or tight boxes ; 

 all that is necessary is to keep them dry while 

 on transit. 



PRESER\aNG Seeds. — Seeds that have a firm, 

 horn-like covering, like the locust, virgilia, etc., 

 generally retain their vitality the longest, while 

 the seeds of the maple, elm, and similar trees 

 that have a very porous co\ering, are compar- 

 atively short-lived. The size of the seed is no 

 indication of its vitality ; the largest may per- 

 ish much sooner than the very smallest. 



The black walnut, horse chesnut, and butter- 

 nut will seldom if ever grow after the first sea- 

 son, while the virgilia and locust, wliich are 

 quite small, will germinate after having been 

 kepi for a dozen j'ears. The vitality of all seeds 

 may be I'etained lor a much longer time than 

 was evidently intended by Nature, if they are 

 placed under the proper conditions. A cool, 

 dry, and equal temperature ajjpears to be the 

 best adapted for the preservation of all seeds. 

 The humidity of the atmosphere has also much 

 to do in enabling them to retain their vitality, 

 for while a warm, moist one is just suited to 

 growth, it hastens the death of the seeds. For 

 when the germinating powers of the seed have 

 once been excited into growth, it cannot be 

 checked without injuring, if not wholly destroy- 

 ing, its vitality. A warm, dry, atmosphere 

 evaporates the moisture, causing them to shriv- 

 el, and thus destroys them. 



Some seeds, as the chestnut, contain such a 

 large amount of albuminous matter that it is 

 quite difficult to keep the temperature and 

 humidity of the atmosphere just in the right 

 state for their preservation. All such seeds 

 should be placed in the ground, or on it, soon 

 after they are ripe, and covered with leaves or 

 some similar material, following Nature's meth- 

 od, as they receive there the jjroper degree of 

 warmth and moisture requisite to their preser- 

 vation, better than in any other situation. 



Time FOR Sowing Seeds. — There can be 

 no specified time given for sowing all kinds of 

 tree seeds, but for a general rule, very soon 

 after they ripen Is the best. It is certainly not 

 always convenient to do so, nor Is it always 

 necessary, but with some kinds a delay of a few 

 weeks is almost certain to result In a complete 

 failure. Some kinds of seeds retain their vi- 

 tality for years, while others for only a few 

 months at most. 



The want of specific knowledge upon this 

 point has been the cause of many failures, and 

 will probably continue to be so until more gen- 

 eral Information is disseminated. 



The red and silver maple ripen their seeds 

 in spring or early summer, about the first to 

 the middle of June in this vicinity, and they 

 retain their vitality for only a few weeks. If 

 sowed so soon as ripe, they will come up in a 

 few days, and make a growth of one to three 

 feet by the time the sugar and Norway majjle 

 seeds are ripe m autumn. These two varieties 

 of maples are among the few forest tree seeds 

 that absolutely demand immediate planting, 

 and then they grow very readily. — Fuller''s 

 Forest Tree Culiurist. 



BARNS-MARKET REPORTS. 



I lost considerable from not having barn 

 room for all my barley. That which was 

 stacked out of doors was weather-stained, and 

 will not bring so much by 10 cents a bushel, 

 as that put in the barn — though fully as good 

 a sample in other respects. My loss this year 

 from stacking would pay the interest on a good 

 sized barn. 



It annoys me to see farmers sacrificing their 

 barley, simply for want of coi'rect information. 

 Large quantities have been sold in this section 

 at 85c. to 90c. per bushel, and a dollar is about 

 the outside figure for choice four-rowed. Far- 

 mers seem to have been seized with a desire to sell 

 at once, and have rushed in the crop and taken 

 just what they could get, from the idea that as 

 the yield was large, prices must be low. But 

 they forget that hitherto a great portion of our 

 barley has been brought from Canada, and that, 

 large as the croj) is with us, it Is not large 

 enough to supply the demand, and that the de- 

 ficiency must l)e obtained from Canada. The 

 jirlce at which Canada barley can be bought, 

 therefore, will determine the price in this mar- 

 ket. At the time when farmers were selling 

 here from 90c. to $1.00, barley in Toi'onto 



