Practical Sylviculture 111 



clean and prevents the sand from becoming mixed with 

 them. In this way any small seeds like the birch may be 

 kept perfectly fresh and clean. The box containing the 

 seed must then be buried one or two feet in the ground 

 in a well-drained, moist place. In stratifying seeds, 

 it is best to imitate natural conditions as nearly as possi- 

 ble. Large quantities may be stratified in a pit instead 

 of in a box. 



Planting seed in the nursery and in the woodlot. — Seeds 

 ripening in the spring and early summer may be sown in 

 the nursery at once, or may be sown directly in the wood- 

 lot. It is well to keep in mind at all times the fact that 

 trees that produce very tender and delicate seedlings, 

 until they become three or four years old, had better be 

 grown in the nursery for a few years, while sturdy, stocky 

 seedlings with deep roots had best be planted in the wood- 

 lot at once. Seeds of trees that early in life form a long 

 tap-root should be planted in the woodlot directly, since 

 the difficulty and the expense of planting seedlings of this 

 kind becomes too great and the loss of seedlings is likely to 

 result. 



It follows then that seeds of the pines, spruces, and the 

 like, and in some cases the elm, the silver and the red 

 maple should be sown in the nursery and when large enough 

 planted in the woodlot. Seeds of the oak, walnut, beech, 

 chestnut and hickory, producing a sturdy seedling, may be 

 placed directly in the woodlot by planting stratified seeds. 

 Planting must be done in the early spring as soon as the 

 ground is clear of frost. 



The woodlot owner can readily decide whether it is 

 advisable to collect the seed in his own woodlot, or in a 



