The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1883-05-24
for the farmer.
FOREST TREES FROM SEED.

lOt each seed WITHIN Its slender r1nd.
LIES golden threads in endless circles wind
Maze within maze the lncid webs are rolled
And rs they burst. the living fame unfold.
The pulpy acorn, it swels contains
The oaks vast branches in it, milky veins
Each raveld bud, fine film, and fibre line
Traced with nice pencil on the small design.
Grain within grain successive harvest.dSeil
And bouBdless forests slumber in 3 she'll
1t is good general rule to SOW seed of all
kinds soon as they are ripe. They will yese-
tate sooner if sown Immediately after being gath
cred from the plants than they will do at any
future time. Exposure to the air hardens the
outside covering of seeds, which has a tendency
tc retard examinations; SO that whatever seed
will germinate in one week, one month, one,
two, or more years after il has beep put IN the
ground, will depend very much upon the amount
of drying and exposure to the air that il was
subjected TO before it was sown.
But it is not always practicable or con venient
TO SOW seeds immediately after they are ripe and
have been gathered; therefore, the alternative
is TO preserve them in the best manner, so as to
retain their vitality unimpared, so that they
terminate as speedily possible when sown.
There are many seeds which ripen during late
summer and fall, which cannot very well be
kept during winter without more OF less deter
ioratiOn. Some, such as the silver maple, red
maple, elm and poplar, rpen early, and will not
keep well: these should be sown as soon as ripe,
and they will probably grow TO good sized
plants before the growing season ends. Silver
naples may be had from three to four feet high
by December from seeds sOwn the preceding
June. Among those which do best when sown
in the fall or Immediately after they are ripe,
are the seeds of the peach, cherry, sweet chest
nut. hazlenut walnut, hickory oak horse chest
nut, beech. linden, Kentucky coffee tree. honey
locust, pcrsimmon. Judas tree, blackberry. yell
low locust Usage orange and magnolia.
If these cannot be sown in the fall. they must
lie kept ever till spring by mixing them with
sand, or dry earth of any kind, aud kept in a
cool place, such an open shed or well ven
tilated, cold celler; if kept in a warm place,
they will not be in such good condition in the
spriEg as when kept quite cold and slightly
moist. Sometimes acorns and the various kinds
of nuts will keep in fine condition by spreading
them thckly on the surface Of the ground in the
open air, and covering them over with four to
six inches of earth or sand.
Small seeds, and those that light and
chaffy, such as seeds Of the alder, birch, syca-
more, catalpa, and mulberry, as also some of the
later ripenipg winged seeds. as the sugar ma
pie, negunda, and the various species Of ash,
should be gathered when ripe and spread thinly
in an airy situation to partially dry, after which
they can he stored in coarse bags and Kept in "A
cool, airy room until required for sowing in the
spring. Larch, pine, and generally seed of all
cOniferous plants, should be kept in a similar
manner during winter.
To succeed in raising healthy plants with a
good root SYSTEM it is essentially necessary that
the seeds should he sown in deeply-wOrked,
light, lOamy soils. Clayey soils are not be select
ed, as theytoo readily harden on tue surface anu
form an impervious crust, so far as relates to
the pushing powers of the young germs. Where
no other soil is available except n clay, we
have seen good results at tanned by covering the
seeds with sand; there is nothing in clay soil
TO prevent growth when the yOnng plants
show themselves above the surface. The soil
should not only be deeply worked, but it should
also be made rs rich and fertile possible. In
general there is altogether too little account
made of the failures in first attempts in the
cultivation of specatics, such as that Of rails
ing trees from seeds, may be traced to careless
ness in the selection, preparation, and enrich
ment of the soil.