The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-10-20
Seed Collection,

EVERY farmer is much interested in
the harvest which is just coming to
close, and We hear on every hand
discussions of the crops and yields in
comparison with other years. How
ever, few realize or have taken notice
OF the fact that this past season has
been one Of the best for the produc-
ton OF forest tree seeds for some time
past In Europe, the forest tree seed
crop is of immense value annually.
We Americans have not realized its
value in this country as yet. How
ever, In the next decade the crop
produced each year along the fence
lines and in woodlots will be looked
upon as a substantial source of rev.
enue to its owner. Many woodlot own
ers and farmers have recently become
interested in how they can better their
forest conditions in the woodlot, or
establish new woodlots. One of the
best ways to do is by collecting seeds
near at hand, such as, for instance,
acorns and nuts. The back walnut.
butternut, hickory, red and black oak
and Eastwood have all produced very
abundantly this season. The best time
frost. The seeds that fall before the
first severe frost, as a rule, are de-
fective and should not be gathered.
After the first severe frost they
should be gathered and, if squirrels
and rodents are not prevalent, plant.
ed directly in the area desired. This
can be done by filling a knapsack
with nuts and going into the wood lot
with a spud, pacing along the fence
lines, spuding hole and cropping a
nut into it, and then coverin= with the
heel 1t is wonderful how quickly
trees plentcd in this way will develop
into good slice saplings. These should
be planted in open places in the wood
lot where the grass and briars have
come in. A good knapsack is made
by taking an ordinary grain sack,
cutting down parallel with the sides,
leaving two bands about two inches
wide and cutting out panel about
of the sack ribbons made in this way
and fling over the shoulder.
If rodents and squirrels are source
Of danger, the nuts should be stored
over winter. In the storage of all
forest tree seeds, effort should he
made to mimic nature. If nature pr,-
duces seeds and plants at once, the
forester does the same. If nature al
lows the seeds to fall and covers
them over winter with a moist coat
ing of leaves and litter, the forester
does the same, and the same with
those seeds which are borne high on
the tips of branches and left to the
action over winter, such as
in the case of our syamore, ash, honey
locust and box elder.
All nuts and acorns nature covers
over winter. The woodlot owners can
collect these seeds, place them in
box sufficient to contain the amount
that he desires to collect. Sink the
box in the soil in a well-drained 10.
cality, putting in about two inches of
sand in the bottom, then a layer OF
nuts or acorDs, then another layer of
sand, then nuts and so on until the
nuts are taken care of and the box
is full. See to 1t that five or six
inches Of good sand is left on the
surface. Then place covering Of light
boards over the top. If there is any
danger of squirrels and chipr inks,
piece of closely woven wire netting
should be staked over the box large
enough to cover an area four or FIVE
feet larger than the box itself, and
this netting should be partially GOV.
cred with earth. This will protect the
nuts from danger of squirrels and
gophers, as they will not burrow
the wire. In this way the
nuts are kept at an even temperature
and even moisture condition and can
be planted out in the woodlot when
desired in the spring. Do not try to
keep seeds of this class in the dry
state over winter, as they will not
terminate in the spring TO any de-
gree of satisfaction. However. such
seeds as sycamore. ash, box elder.
black locust, honey locust. ETC., should
be collected in the fall and hung in
4 bag on rafters in barns or houses.
and kept in dry condition. These
can be planted the same as other tree
seeds in the spring.