﻿52 BULLETIN 21, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



METHODS OF PLANTING. 



In planting cottonwood either cuttings or wild-grown seedlings 

 have been largely used. Although growing seedlings in nursery beds 

 and transplanting them out when they are a year old is the method 

 usually recommended for most trees, yet in the case 'of cottonwood, 

 because of the difficulty of handling the seed and the simplicity of 

 the first two methods mentioned, nursery practice i's less practicable. 

 Reforestation by direct seeding over' the area to be stocked will, as a 

 rule, also be impracticable. 



WILD. SEEDLINGS. 



An abundance of 1-year-old wild seedlings can in most years be 

 found in dense thickets on overflow lands along the Mississippi River 

 and its tributaries. If these are collected, only the best should be 

 straggling root system is decided contrast to the stocky, fleshy, com- 

 ing on coarse sand. The latter are very apt to have a rather long, 

 straggling root system in decided contrast to the stocky, fleshy, com- 

 pact roots characteristic of trees growing in rich moist soil. Not 

 only will this latter stock prove more vigorous, but it will be much 

 easier to handle. It should not, however, be transplanted to excep- 

 tionally dry sites. One-year-old trees are usually the best, except 

 when they have to compete with weeds and grass. Older trees are 

 apt to be so large that they are expensive to .handle. The wild seed- 

 lings should be taken up before they have begun to grow in the 

 spring. If possible, they should be collected after a heavy ram, 

 when they can be pulled out without injury to the roots. They may 

 be dug up with a spade, but a better method is to turn the surface 

 soil with a plow. Stock can sometimes be collected in this manner as 

 cheaply as 50 cents per thousand, and should seldom cost $1. Wild 

 seedlings can generally be purchased from nurserymen or collectors 

 for from $1.50 to $2.50 per thousand. It is advisable in purchasing 

 collected seedlings to make sure they come from a region of similar 

 climatic conditions. 



NURSERY SEEDLINGS. 



Nursery-grown seedlings are seldom used in the establishment of 

 cottonwood plantations. On dry sites, however, the superiority of 

 seedlings over plain cuttings is unquestioned. Although nursery 

 practice with cottonwood in this country is still in its infancy, a 

 fairly good stand of young seedlings may be obtained in nursery 

 beds at a very low cost. In fact, where rooted stock is essential 

 and wild seedlings are not available, nursery seedlings can be pro- 

 duced at less expense than rooted cuttings. 



Cottonwood matures its seed in the south as early as the last of 

 April or first of May, while in the latitude of Minnesota seed may 



