10 CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS—JUNE. 
month ; collect them fresh from the tree and sow them into 
beds; there is always a larger or smaller proportion of the seeds 
empty. The thickness in the bed should be regulated by the 
quality of the seeds, which is always easily ascertained by 
pressing them between the finger and thumb, which will 
indicate whether they are full or empty. They should, how- 
ever, be spread thick on the ground, so as to insure a crop, 
as the seeds are not valuable; and the plants when too close 
are easily thinned out at the first weeding. If the weather 
is dry, the seed-beds should be watered and kept moist for 
a week, when the seeds will begin to germinate. If required, 
a further supply of seeds should be collected towards the end 
of the month; these should be thoroughly dried by the in- 
fluence of the weather, so as to prevent fermentation, when 
they may be packed up and kept from mice, and sown in 
February or March. If sown now, after being dried, they 
will not vegetate till spring. 
The great work in the nursery at this season is the cleaning 
of the ground, and keeping down weeds, so as to prevent 
them from shedding their seeds. By the end of this month, 
if all appearance of frost is gone, the twigs protecting the 
seedling beds may be removed. Vacant lots of exhausted 
ground should be well manured, and cropped with turnips. 
JULY. 
Continue to drain and fence land for plantations. Where 
ground is to be planted which formerly yielded timber, dig 
out the pits of a large size, soften the ground along their 
edges, and expose the whole to the fertilizing influences of the 
atmosphere. Perform the same operation where forest trees 
are to be planted into pits in all soils containing iron, or 
having a substratum of moorband or ferruginous crust; so 
that these soils may be rectified before the season of planting. 
This precaution should be taken with all soils which do not 
appear perfectly sweet and congenial. In all such land where 
plants are to be inserted by the notch system, this is a good 
