410 
THE NATIONAL NlJRSERYT^rAN 
thih: and simuB seeds. 
Inipalic'iK'C is characteristic of the American ami it 
may he Ihis has something to do with the fact that the 
American nurseryman imports such large quantities 
of small stock for lining out in j)reference to growing it 
hims(df. He likes to start with a tree or plant that has 
somt‘ size lo it and is ready for lining out in nursery rows. 
There is some excuse for the nurseryman who has not 
the facilities for raising small stock that has to he 
gi-afted, enarehed, layered or propagated by those 
methods which re(}uire special facilities, but there is no 
excuse for importing many of the native things which 
can just as readily he grown here as purchased from 
abroad. The general feeling that certain plants can be 
imported cheaper than they can he raised here is open to 
(|uestion, as there are many things to consider besides 
the lirst cost. The lirst cost of imported stock may he 
less hut there is also greater danger of loss and other 
charges that are not ai)j)licable to home grown stock. 
Every nurseryman knows the advantage of having stock 
so he can handle it at the best and most convenient time 
and not just when it comes in and everyone will agree 
that seedlings which are home grown will do better than 
stock purchased from abroad or even from another nur¬ 
sery. 
Quite a number of nurseries in the United States make 
a specialty of young stock. It would he a good thing it 
every nursery raised at least a ])ortion of its own. It 
may not be possible or even advisable to propagate a full 
Hue ami yet there' are doubtless many things that are pur¬ 
chased which can be raised equally as w ell if not better 
than they can be purchased. They niay only be common 
things like the Berberis Thunbergii, certain varieties of 
oaks, silver maples or some shrub that is native and well 
adapted to a particular location but they are worth while 
if there is a good market. 
Uolleeting seed is (juite a i)rohlem. It must be the re- 
sidt of experience. ()f course, anyone can go and gather 
uj) the acorns that fall from a tree or w hen they see ber¬ 
ries that are ri])e go and gather them, but those w ho have 
made a practice of collecting their ow n seed realize that 
it is not quite so easy as it seems. The commoner things 
of course are alw ays available but the choicer and rarer 
shrubs have to be located maybe the year before and then 
the time of their ripening carefully watched. A day or 
two w ill make a great deal of diffei’ence. There are few' 
berries or fruits that are not food for birds and it is very 
easy to be a day late and find every single berry gone, 
where the day before there was a full crop. 
It is seldom a nurseryman has trees or shrubs on bis 
own ])lace from w Inch he can collect seeds as the nursery 
stock is usually young. It is a w ise ])ractice for the nur¬ 
series to have a stock ground w here a choice thing may 
he planted and allowed to grow' to maturity just for the 
purpose of obtaining seed or cuttings as the case might 
be. Some nurseries are loeated where there are large 
coindry e.states and l»y arrangement with those in 
aulhority i)erinission can easily he ])rocured to get seed. 
The time of sow ing the tree and shrub seeds is largely 
a matter of experience. Many seeds like the maples 
have to he sown as soon as rij)e because they will not 
keep. Others rij)en so late in the fall that the ground is 
fi'ozen before they can be planted so it is necessary to 
keep them over until spring. 
There are no rules that can be given as to the proper 
time for sow ing the seed. Tin' most successful ])ropaga- 
tor w ill he the man w ho know s most about the plants and 
is best able to adapt his conditions to their reciuirements. 
For those without experience it may be suggested that 
fall is the best time for the large nuts w ith hard shells, 
Cornus of all kinds, Crataegus or Haw thorns, Deeeh, Ex- 
oeborda, Privets, Magnolias, Planes. Pranas, Oaks, Py- 
ras, Buckthorn, Sumach, Wild Boses and Vibarnams. 
Seed that is very small and from trees and shrubs that 
are inclined to be tender, sowing in the spring is more 
likely to be suceessful. Tbe Birch. Catalpa, Persimmon. 
Sweet Gum, Larch, Mulberry, Paalownia and Huckle¬ 
berry are tbe better sow n in the s})ring largely because 
the seeds are so very small or of such a nature that they 
can hardly be kept in tbe ground over winter without 
either decaying or being washed away. 
This leads up to the question which is the best posi¬ 
tion for the seed beds? Shelter is one of the prime essen¬ 
tials as nothing is so detrimental to successful seed grow'- 
ing as exposure to dry winds, too much hot sun and 
those trying conditions that are sure to come some time 
of the year. 
The ground should be ])low'ed deep and 
cleaned thoroughly so as to reduce the labor of 
keeping the beds free from w eeds later in tbe summer to 
a minimum. It is out of the question to sow" seeds w"here 
the ground is full of perennial roots of w'eeds, as the cost 
of kee])ing them clean w ill be too mueb. 
The beds may be of indefinite length but should be 
about three feet w ide for convenience in weeding, shad¬ 
ing and handling. Of course, if w ater is available all the 
better but it is really not an essential if the ground is 
])roperly prepared and facilities for shading are provided 
for. 
Good success can often be secured by sowing seed on 
the frozen ground, ])roviding the ground has been pre¬ 
pared in advanee. The seed may be spread on the ground 
and then covered w"!th sand, liiis method has much to 
recommend it as the sand w ill check the first crop of 
W"eeds in early sjuing. giving the seedlings a chance to 
get ahead. Of course if the seed sow ing can be done be¬ 
fore the ground freezes all the better, but very often as 
in the case of the w ild roses the seed is not ready to 
gather before tbe frost and then it has to be cleaned and 
dried before it can be sown and it either means keeping 
it until the follow ing si)ring or sow ing it on the frozen 
ground. 
Many seeds remain in the ground an entire season be¬ 
fore coming up. The Hazel Nut w"ill sometimes germin¬ 
ate in the early spring but often the seed will remain 
in the ground coming up the folh)W"ing year. Euonynius, 
Chionanfhus and some others take a long time to ger¬ 
minate, not coming up until the second season. Other 
kinds, w hile they germinate the first season, make so 
little grow th that there is hardly enough vitality to carry 
them over the first w"inter. Their eare at this period is 
often a problem. Eaonymas alatas is a good sample of 
this type. The plants perhaps w"ill not be more than tw o 
or three inehes and very slender. If left out in the open 
ground the frost invariably lifts them and the plant is 
lost. They have to be ])rotected in some w'ay or lifted 
and put in ])ots and carried over in the greenhouse or 
frame where they can be protected from the severe w"in- 
