44 
Theodore Payne, Seedsman and Nurseryman 
Headquarters for 
EUCALYPTUS SEEDS 
I am headquarters for eucalyptus seeds, having the most extensive trade in this line of any firm la 
the United States, and supplying the largest planters here as well as exporting to many foreign countries. 
To this department of my business I have devoted much study and personal attention. My seeds are 
carefully collected by my own men, under my personal supervision, from selected specimen trees, and 
are both true to name and of the very best stock obtainable. So extensive has become my trade in 
this line that a trifle under 1800 pounds was the total amount of seed thus collected in one season. For 
a few species of which the seed cannot yet be obtained in California I am in direct communication with 
the most reliable authorities in Australia who collect the seeds for me in their native habitata. 
Theodore Payne and men gathering eucalyptus seeds 
EUCALYPTUS TIMBER CULTURE 
REQUIREMENTS. The requirements for propagating 
the seedlings are: 
A lath house or lath or cloth covered frames to 
shade the seed beds during the day. When growing 
on a large scale it will pay in every case to build 
a lath house. Shallow boxes or flats; a good light 
soil and water convenient for sprinkling. 
riiATS OR BOXES. These should be 3 Inches deep and 
any size desired, though the size most convenient 
and generally used is about 20 inches square and 
will hold 100 plants. Some are using 18 inches 
square, the latter being mostly made of shakes 
sawed in half, using inch pieces for ends and split 
shakes for the sides. This makes a box 16x18x3 
Inches inside measurement and does very well. 
BOIL. This should be a good light, sandy loam passed 
through a screen so as to take out any lumps or 
stones. If good leaf mould is procurable a small 
quantity of this may be mixed with the soil, as it 
helps to retain the moisture. 
SEED. Procure the best seed possible from the most 
reliable source; it does not pay to use cheap seed, 
for by getting seed not true to name the loss cannot 
be calculated. 
QUANTITY OP SEED. The quantity of seed to pro- 
duce a given number of trees varies according to 
the species; as a fair average, however, 1 lb. should 
produce 20,000 seedlings, though as high as 30,000 
has been known. 
TIME OP SOWING. This varies somewhat according 
to the locality and the species to be sown. The 
usual time, however, is in June, or early July, and 
seedlings from these sowings will be ready to set out 
In the field by the following February; later sow- 
ings are also made in August and early part of 
September, and these seedlings will be ready to plant 
out in April. 
SOWING THE SEED. There are two methods of sow- 
ing the seed, viz.: In seed beds and seed boxes. 
For raising limited quantities the latter method Is 
preferable. Fill the boxes carefully with the pro- 
pared soil, smooth off the surface and press down 
lightly with a board, tamping it slightly in tho 
corners. On this smooth surface, sow the seed 
broadcast, using about % oz. of seed to a box, then 
cover the seed with the same kind of soli. This 
should be sifted over the surface through a flne- 
meshed sieve and not be more than % of an inch 
deep. The boxes should then be placed in the lath 
house or in some place where they can be covered 
with lath or cloth covered frames. The soil must 
be kept moist at all times, the watering should be 
done with a pot or a loose hose-nozzle so fine as 
to produce nothing but a spray. 
As soon as the young seedlings show through the 
surface great care must be exercised in watering or 
the seedlings will "damp off." Always water In the 
morning and never at night. When raising the seed- 
lings in commercial quantities, sowing in beds Is 
often practiced. The soil for these should be pre- 
pared in the same way as already mentioned, the 
surface smoothed out evenly and the seed sown and 
covered as already mentioned. After this cover the 
beds with burlap stretched over a wooden frame 
work. This may be laid right on the ground and 
kept moist. As soon as the seedlings break through 
the crust of the ground this should be raised a 
little at first and gradually up until it is a foot 
above the ground. As the seedlings grow and get 
stronger this covering may be gradually removed 
so that they will harden to the full sun. 
