302 THE ALDER: 
over an apartment where a strong fire is kept, the opera- 
tion will be greatly facilitated. The cones are turned over 
every day or two, until they become quite dry and open ; 
after that they are threshed, or trodden with the feet, and 
then the seeds are sifted out. The season of sowing the seed 
is March, or early in April. Any rich friable soil will suit. 
After being dug over smoothly, the beds should be marked 
out four feet wide, with an alley of one foot between each. 
A pound of seeds of ordinary quality is sufficient for ten 
yards of a four-feet bed; but as the seeds often differ in 
quality in different seasons, the sower should exercise his 
judgment in trying the seeds by bruising a few of them, when 
the fresh white appearance of the kernel readily indicates 
their vitality. If the seeds are not sown until April, and the 
weather be dry, they had better be moistened for a day before 
sowing. Sow regularly on the surface of the ground ; after 
which, rake the surface slightly and evenly, which is all that 
is necessary for covering the seeds, unless the weather is dry, 
when it is an advantage to roll the ground after sowing and 
raking. The seeds being generally of little value, it is well 
to sow thick, and thin out the young plants where they are 
too close, in June or July. At the end of the first year’s 
growth, the seedlings commonly range from four to eight 
inches, according to the quality of the soil and the season. 
These plants should be transplanted during the following 
spring into lines a foot apart, and the plants three or four 
inches asunder in the lines. They are of rapid growth 
when young, and often attain the height of eighteen inches 
at the end of the second year. They then require more 
room, and should either be removed to their final destina- 
tion, or thinned out, allowing them space in the nursery in 
proportion to their height. Generally speaking, plants of 
whatever age take most readily to the ground when finally 
transplanted, if they have undergone that nursery operation 
the year previously. 
The alder is seldom a profitable plant to the nurseryman. 
This arises partly from its being commonly sold at a lower 
