NURSERY PRACTICE FOR PRAIRIE-PLAINS PLANTING 



11 



species, such as ash, locust, and oak, assume a darker color when ripe, 

 although ash and other winged seeds bleach after remaining on the 

 tree some time. 



From simple cutting tests may be obtained rough estimates of seed 

 maturity before collection and thus the gathering of weeviled, hollow, 

 or otherwise defective seed may be avoided. When careful pre- 

 examination of the area discloses variation between trees in the quality 

 of seed, it may be desirable to make cutting tests on seed of individual 

 trees. This is a common-sense economy measure, since the money 

 expended on the collection of immature, weeviled, or hollow seeds is 

 wasted. A small-size wire nipper or side-cutter is a convenient tool for 

 making cutting tests in the field. In judging maturity by means of 

 cutting tests, one should note whether the kernel is firm, fills the cavity 

 completely, and is of a white or cream color. 



COLLECTING EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUE 



The equipment necessary for efficient seed collection varies according 

 to the species. For a season's work over a range of species, the Forest 

 Service has found that col- 

 lecting crews should, in 

 addition to adequate trans- 

 portation, be equipped with 

 wire nippers or side-cutters 

 for field cutting tests and 

 other purposes, ladders, 

 picking bags, buckets, heavy 

 leather gloves (necessary for 

 certain thorny species), 

 bamboo or light wooden 

 poles of various lengths, 

 cutting-hooks for detaching 

 fruit or cones (fig. 4), sacks, 

 tags, twine, ropes, linemen's 

 safety belts, and tarpaulins 

 or seed-sheets. Light duck 

 (8-ounce) tarpaulins, 14 by 

 16 feet, or heavy burlap 

 lengths sewed into squares 

 of convenient size, are pref- 

 erred to heavy tarpaulins 

 because they are easier to 

 handle, and the seed will not 

 bounce off them. 



Collection technique va- 

 ries according to species. 

 In general, flailing, strip- 

 ping, and shaking onto tar- 

 paulins (fig. 5) are the 

 preferred practices for 



species growing in planted rows or in groups in open, parklike areas 

 where tarpaulins can be spread out and easily moved about beneath 

 the trees. Hackberry, black locust, mulberry, and Russian-olive 

 are a few of the more common species collected in this manner. 



Figure 4. — A double-hook detacher for cut- 

 ting fruit, cones, or small limbs from trees. 

 Made from two discarded mower blades 

 welded to a flat piece of steel %% inches 

 long. 



