﻿COTTONWOOD IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 53 



often be obtained up to the second week in June. Abundant seed 

 is produced annually. The seed should be collected just before the 

 pods or capsules begin to open, although large quantities of it could 

 easily be obtained later in protected places on the ground. Seed col- 

 lected from the ground, however, is apt to be mixed with other 

 material such as leaf litter or even with seeds of other, species, par- 

 ticularly of willow, which also mature early. Furthermore, ground - 

 collected seed is obviously not so fresh as that in the unopened cap- 

 sules; this, because of the short vitality of Cottonwood seed, is a dis- 

 advantage. In the case of large open-grown trees, the catkins may 

 easily be picked from the tree by a man with a ladder. Where 

 logging operations are in progress at this season seed can be obtained 

 from felled trees at a very low cost. It is also frequently possible to 

 obtain plenty of green catkins of good quality which have been 

 blown off the trees by heavy winds just before opening. As a rule, 

 however, the picked seeds are more dependable. 



The green " seed balls " should be kept well aerated. If stacked 

 in large piles or kept in closed receptacles there is danger of their 

 becoming heated and possibly losing their vitality. They should, 

 therefore, be spread out to dry as soon as collected, and when they 

 begin to open should be covered over with strips of paper to pre- 

 vent the cottony seed from escaping into the air. As soon as the 

 capsules are wide open the seeds are ready for sowing. The vitality 

 of the seed lasts for only a week or two at the most. 



The nursery bed may be prepared in the same manner as for any 

 other broadleaf species. The soil should be deep, moist, and per- 

 meable. It should be well worked to the depth of about a foot. 

 Sandy soils should be enriched and well mixed with manure. The 

 surface of the beds, after being thoroughly worked, should be rolled 

 smooth. 



The seed balls may be spread out on the surface of the prepared 

 nursery bed as soon as they have been collected, and thus allowed to 

 dry out in the sun until the pods are opened sufficiently to shed the 

 seed. Best results can be obtained by collecting small branches bear- 

 ing a good supply of seed catkins and laying them on the beds with 

 the catkins still on them. As soon as the seed balls open the seed can 

 readily be shaken out over the surface of the bed, after which it 

 should be soaked down and lightly covered with a sprinkling of 

 sand. After the pods have begun to open it may be necessary to 

 keep the beds covered with strips of heavy paper in order to pre- 

 vent the escape of the '•' cotton." The seed must be shaken out over 

 the bed on a very calm day, or else beneath the paper cover. 



If the seed balls have dried previous to sowing, the seed should be 

 spread as evenly as possible over the surface of the bed until it is 

 entirely covered with a very thin layer of cotton. Over this dry 



