62 AMERICAN MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLETS 



six weeks to appear above the ground, pine and spruce Four weeks. ( rrowth 

 may be hastened by soaking the seeds twenty-four hours before planting. 



Seeds of linden and locust should have boiling water poured over them or 

 should be soaked in hot water for three or tour days. 



Mow to Care for Seedling Trees 



As a rule seedling trees grow very slowly their first year. Pines grow 

 three inches or less, in Fact, pines grow very slowly For the first five years 

 and not rapidly until they are ten years old. Broadleaf seedlings grow 



faster than those of conifers; chestnut and a U'\v others make the astonishing 

 growth of fifteen to twenty-four inches their first year. 



Seedlings grown in the house need the ordinary care given to house 

 plants. If they are grown in the seed bed they must be kept partly shaded, 

 and be protected from wind. It is suggested that a bed have a cover made of 

 Strips of lath, the width of a lath apart. This cover should be placed one 

 foot or more above the bed, held on stakes driven into the ground at the 

 corners of the bed (Fig. ">2). A cover similar to this may be made of brush. 

 Any covci- should be movable so that it can be taken off on dark days. ( 'oni- 

 fers should be shaded for two or three years; broadleaf trees only during 

 their first season. 



Keep the soil of the seed bed loosened; also free from weeds. Thin the 

 seedlings so that each will have light and air. For winter protection the 

 row of seedlings should be banked with earth and the nursery bed covered 

 with straw. For directions for transplanting see p. 64. 



GROWTH OF TREES FROM CUTTINGS 



WILLOWS and poplars may be grown from cuttings. Thus a 

 quick method is provided For covering land to hold the soil 

 along streams (cottonwood is recommended for irrigation 

 ditches), and to prevent severe erosion from overflow. 



The cuttings may be put into their permanent place at once or may be 

 started in a nursery bed or in boxes. Considerable moisture is needed 

 until the roots are formed. The usual cuttings are one Fool in length and 

 one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. Plant with the buds 

 pointing upward, and place three-fourths or more of the cutting under- 

 ground. The soil must be closely packed above each cutting. 



Good results are gained by making the cuttings in late fall and keeping 

 them buried in sand in the cellar or in some out-of-door place till spring, 

 then planting as described. This is like the natural method; that is, the 

 winter winds may whip twigs from willow trees, these twigs may lie dor- 



