THE GAME BREEDER 



143 



sists of a plump seed with a shiny blue- 

 black coating, inclosed in a burrlike hull 

 (Fig. 7) which is ridged and provided 

 with numerous fleshy projections. The 

 fruits, which are very numerous, drop 

 into the water immediately upon or even 

 before ripening. Seedlings (Fig. 8) come 

 up by the thousand in midsummer and 

 young plants in all stages of growth are 

 abundant, proving that, for increase, 

 seed is the main dependence of the tree. 

 The water elm is also known (in 

 books) as planer tree, and among the 

 French-speaking people of Louisiana as 

 chataignier and charmille. 



Distribution. 

 The range (Fig. 9) of the water elm 

 (Planera aquatica) extends from the 

 lower Wabash Valley in Indiana to the 

 river bottoms of eastern Texas, and 

 from western Tennessee and southeast- 

 ern North Carolina to Florida. 



Propagation. 



Seeds of the water elm do not seem 

 to be ripe at the time they usually fall ; 

 the real ripening probably occurs as they 

 lie in the water beneath the parent tree. 



Fig. lo — Leaves of swamp privet. 



While it is difficult, therefore, to collect 

 seeds in proper condition for planting, 

 young plants of water elm abound and 

 if carefully lifted and packed should 

 stand shipment well. Great care must 

 be taken to prevent the roots from dry- 

 ing. They should be embedded in balls 



of earth and sewed up in burlap. Trans- 

 portation should be as rapid as possible 

 and the young trees should be set out or 

 heeled in immediately upon receipt. 

 Transplanting should be done when the 

 trees are leafless. 



Swamp Privet. 

 Value as Duck Food. 

 The swamp privet is included princi- 

 pally on account of the testimony of 



Fi?. II — Seedlings of swamp privet. 



numerous hunters as to its usefulness. 

 Wood ducks in particular are said to 

 feed extensively upon its seeds. Weeks 

 before other species of ducks arrive these 

 birds are abundant in the country where 

 swamp privot grows and are said to con- 

 sume most of the crop of seeds, leaving 

 little for other ducks. The seeds have 

 been found in numerous mallard stom- 

 achs, but in quantity in only one. 

 Description of Plant. 

 Swamp privet (Forestiera acuminata) 

 or bois blanc, found in the same kinds 

 of localities as the water elm, is a 

 smooth-barked shrub (sometimes a small 

 tree) usually with drooping stems, which 

 frequently take root at the tip. The 

 smooth, light-green leaves (Fig. 10) are 

 opposite, oval, taper-pointed at both ends, 

 and with rounded serrations which are 

 more prominent on the apical half. The 

 fruit of swamp privet is a blue watery 

 berry from, one-half to three-fourths of 

 an inch in length. Greatly subject to 

 insect attack, it is usually distorted. The 



