The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-14

II C. p, Big Rapids. Mich, writes: II
have nearly a bushel OF white ash tree
seed. want TO plant It and grow t. but
do not know how. J have a cultivated
corner OF three acres partly surrounded
BY timber The land produces oak. beech.
maple. hemlock and pine, and is sandy
gravelly and a fairly good soil. Also
have a grove Of pine trees that bear a
great many cones. I would like to plant
a few acres IN pine. but I do not know
anything about II. I cannot identify the
seeds. The cones have now fallen OF and
lie open on the ground in great numbers
Has the seed fallen out and gone. or is II
IN the shells that now stand apart around
the stem? How shall l proceed to ac-
complish my purpose?
Reply-Tne ash seed which you have
should be kept IN a cold. dry place over
winter. The best way OF handling II Is,
perhaps, 10 lay It upon a hard walk or
similar place where the soil Is hard and
cover II with a box TO protect from in
jurses from rodents and birds. In the
spring Of the year Il should be sown IN
rows about three feet apart as early
In the spring as the soil can be worked
You should use about fifty seeds to the
foot Of row. The seedlings should be
about ten inches high by the next au-
tumn. when they may be transplanted
then or the following spring II you wish
TO SOW the seed in a place where 4 will
remain. then e would be desirable to
have the rows about eight feet apart but
II to be transplanted. then three feet
apart is sufficient Good cultivation.
about the same as that required for corn.
should be given during the growing sea-
son. The pine trees which have dropped
their cones probably shed their seeds be-
for the cones fell II is very easy TO dis
tirguish the seeds from the other portion
OF the cones II you viii examine them
closely and use careful Judgment You
will ind al the base Of each Of the scales
which has opened that there are two lit
tie grooves where the seeds were. and &
Is quite likely that you may find a few
seeds stiil remaining in some Of iha cones.
These seeds are broWnish in color and
oval in form. and when they first come
out Of the cones frequently have q Thin
wing attached 10 them. but this generally
falls on easily. leaving the or0Wnlsh seed
without any attachment The habits Of
pine trees in regard % their seed are
quite different in different species. The
Norway pine. for instance. drops lts seed
carly IA September. some time before the
cones fan The white pine drops its
seeds much later in the autumn. and its
cones n winter. IN each of these species
the seeds fall before the cones. On the
other hand. ln the case Of the Scotch pine.
tho cones do not open until the following
spring. and Il is customary 70 gather
them in the fall IN the case Of the jack
pine the cones win frequently rema n on
the trees for several years after they are
ripe without opening. and J have known
them 70 remain as long AZ 1ffeea or
twenty years and even seen them where
the wood had grown up around them and
they had become imbedded 10 the tree.
forming a sort Of knct. and yet the seed
Of these old cones is frequently of very
good rermina ting quality. In the case OF
this species and the scotch pine Il is Gus
fomarv to gather the cones before they
have opened and then put them - q hot
place FOR 4 little while until the cones
open. where it ls done on 4 large scale
especially constructed ovens are used for
ais purpose. which causes the cones to
cpen. and the seed may then Be- shaken
out think II you take q cone ard ex-
asuine Il carefully you WIN have b. frou.