CA .¥A DIA N JIO R TIC UL TURIHT. 



155 



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MY FIRST PLANTATION. 



I!y " KoRKMTKK." 



I WAS captivated easily when I 

 tirst heard of the easy <,'rowth of 

 a phmtation from seeds, or seedlinj,' 

 trees, and these could be bou^dit at all 

 prices down to fifty cents per tiiousand. 

 There are so many Government reports 

 in the United States and some in 

 Ontario, giving sucli full particulars 

 that it seemed very short work to get 

 it all done ; and so it is, but there are 

 diificulties. 



In the tirst place the suggestion to 

 raise the stock from seed is unfortunate, 

 true they are as easily raised as 

 vegetables, and a person really interest- 

 ed and experienced in gardening and 

 who has time to give to it, will not 

 have much trouble and will soon bo 

 greatly interested. 



I tried seeds and have worked at 

 them for several years, without any pre- 

 vious knowledge of the business, and 

 have had fair success, but when the 

 labor was paid for and the losses 

 counted, I found it would be cheaper 

 to buy the seedlings up to two or three 

 years old and a good deal of time; 

 would be saved, but I will continue to 

 I)lant the seed 1 hope just for curiosity, 

 as long as I have any place to plant 

 the trees. No two kinds of seeds 

 come on alike or as one would e.Kpect, 

 and .several varieti(!s said in the Ijooks 

 to' be no more dilHcult than usual ha\e 

 failed entirely. There is no practical 

 benefit in sowing seeds of the coniferous 

 tree.s, and I find that the leading 

 nurseries don't take the trouble to do 

 so, for in Scotland and France where 

 the climate is more suitable, the large 

 nurseries furnish them at very low 



rates and really supply the trade. 

 Mr. Phipps in his la.st report gives 

 fairly full particulars and instructions 

 for evergreen seed beds, l)ut it a very 

 doubtful benefit unless to biginners, 

 and any body making a business of it 

 had better learn fully in some establish- 

 ed nursery, and amateurs trying and 

 failing are easily discouraged. 



Starting again I tried to get a small 

 plantation sooner than from seed by 

 importing seedlings — none being offered 

 in Canada. Ti'ees are easily started in 

 this way, but those I got did not act 

 as I expected. I sent for them in 

 good time in the spring but they were 

 longer on the way than I expected and 

 different kinds do better at particular 

 seasons, and when 1 buy any more I 

 will look out for that. 



The prices of these trees will not 

 prevent any one trying plantations. 

 The small seedlings are not much more 

 by the thou.sand than by the hundred. 



I think the Black-walnut cost, per 

 1,000, 80.00; White-oak, per, 1000, 

 82.00; Box-elder, per 1,000, 81.25; 

 Cottonwood, per 1,000, $2.00; Elm, 

 per 1,000, 83.00; Pine, per 1,000, 

 83.00; Hickory, per 100, 82.00; and 

 larger trees two or three years old are 

 not usually more than 81.00, 82.00 or 

 83.00, per 100, and will l)e three oi' 

 four feet high. There apjicar to be a 

 great numl)er of these wholesale 

 nurseries in the northern and western 

 States, and they advertise freely both 

 there and in Canada. The editor of 

 the HoKTlcri/ruuiST may be right 

 when he says, the Canailian nursery- 

 men will supply us with fruit trees as 



