15 



The fruit has a cone-like appearance, being made up of a number 

 of scales, on a common axis, from which they fall during winter. 

 Very few of these scales contain seeds and only about ten per cent, of 

 the seeds formed are good. Loudon said that the best cones are 

 found on the higher branches of aged trees. In autumn, as the seeds 

 mature, the fruit turns to a brownish color. The cones should be 

 j^athered in October after the first few scales have dropped. Drying 

 them in an ordinary living room for a short time ought to be suffi- 

 cient to free the seeds from the scales. The seeds may be sown 

 broadcast, or in shallow furrows, in fall, or they may be k@.pt in a 

 dry room until spring. Roll the beds after giving the seeds a slight 

 cover. Soft mold or wood and leaf ashes are good fertilizers for 

 them. In summer do not allow the beds to become too dry and give 

 the young plants some protection from the sun. The plants may re- 

 main in the seed beds for tw^o years, to develop a good root system 

 before being planted permanently, or if they are wanted for orna- 

 mental purposes they may be transplanted and left two or more 

 years. After transplanting first time it is better to cut the stem off a 

 couple of inches above the ground, allowing a new stem to be formed. 



Eich soil of coves and of cool slopes is its preference. It is known 

 to come up in old fields after an advance* growth of sassafras or 

 locust, or with locust. Seedlings are plentiful in the forest near old 

 trees after a winter or spring fire has burned the layer of leaves 

 on the ground. It may be set out as the cucumber tree, with lo- 

 cust or with walnut, or with both. Trees are said to be raised easily 

 from cuttings. 



BASSWOOD, AMERICAN LINDEN, LIME TREE, LIN. 



Tilia Americana, L. 



The linden has a one seeded fruit which when it is matured in Sep- 

 tember is hard, hairy, gray and about the size of a pea. They should 

 be sown at once in the seed beds, or if kept over winter, should be 

 stratified with moist sand in a box which can be placed in well 

 drained ground. In either case a good percentage will come up the 

 first year, but if they have been kept dry over winter they are likely 

 to wait until the second year before germinating. They are very 

 slow growers from the seed and will have to remain in the nursery 

 for two, three, or four years, and perhaps more, before they will be 

 •large enough to set out permanently. They may be then planted 

 with oak, sugar maple, white ash, etc. As with other trees, if the 



