80 ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 
can be opened by gently heating them over a stove or in an 
oven to a temperature of from 100 to 150 degrees Fahr. Seeds 
of this class grow readily when sown, but must be very carefully 
stored or they will lose their vitality. They should be kept simi- 
larly to the seed of the Ash and Boxelder, but are more liable 
to injury than these kinds from too much moisture or heat, and 
for this reason some careful growers prefer to always keep them 
mixed with dry sand in a cool shed. 
The seeds of the Red Cedar hang on the tree all winter, and 
must be picked by hand. They should be soaked in strong lye 
for twenty-four hours, the fleshy covering removed by rubbing 
them against a fine sieve, and then stratified in sand, where they 
will be frozen during the winter. Even with this treatment they 
will seldom grow until the second year. 
Raising Coniferous Trees from Seed. The land selected 
for sowing the seed should have a light, porous surface soil, 
preferably underlaid with a moist subsoil that will not dry out 
easily. It should be so located as to have good circulation of 
air over it, that the plants may dry om quickly after rains, and it 
must be so shaded as to keep off about one-half of the sunlight. 
This latter permits a play of light and shade over the bed all 
day, and is about the condition under which we find nature rais- 
ing such seedlings where trees partially shade the ground and 
protect them from the constant rays of the sun. In practice we 
aim to secure these conditions as follows: A piece of well 
drained, rather sandy soil, in an airy place, is selected, and laid 
out.in beds four feet wide. In May the seeds are sown rather 
thickly (about three good seeds to a square inch), either broad- 
cast or in rows, and covered with about one-fourth inch of sandy 
loam and then with about one-fourth inch of clear sand. Some 
of the smaller seeds, like those of White Spruce, should not be 
covered more than one-fourth inch. Before the seedlings break 
the ground, a framework, six feet above the beds, is made, and 
covered with laths, laid about one and one-half inches apart, 
running north and south, or with sufficient brush to shut out 
about one-half the sunlight. If the bed is very much exposed 
to the winds it should have similar protection on all sides. In 
such a place as this, or in woodlands where these conditions can 
be fulfilled, evergreens can be raised with much certainty, while 
if planted in the open ground most kinds are sure to fail. 
