156 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



apart each way and should project through the board from one- 

 third to one-half an inch. By placing the board on the bed the sur- 

 face of the soil is readily broken without disturbing the shallow planted 

 seed. In Colorado this board also served the purpose of cultivation after 

 the seedlings broke through the ground and is considered a rapid, satis- 

 factory method for heavy loam soil. 



After the seedlings are up it is customary to use a specially con- 

 structed rake which is made by using nails for teeth and has a breadth 

 not quite equal to the distance between drills. In some cases garden 

 rakes have been used by raknig rght over hte seedlings. Such practice 

 usually causes more loss than is occasioned by using the home-made rakes 

 but is much more rapid and where labor is scarce may be used to some 

 advantage. 



In broadcasted beds the stand of seedlings is usually dense enough to 

 limit the growth of weeds and to protect the soil well enough so that 

 only limited cultivation is necessary.. Often broadcasted beds are not 

 given any cultivation. 



Cultivation should always follow each rain or artificial watering un- 

 less it is a region where there is a pronounced rainy season, when culti- 

 vation should be given as soon as the ground is sufficiently dry. Shallow, 

 frequent cultivation is to be greatly preferred over deep, infrequent culti- 

 vation. Cutivation on the heavy soils such as is found at Fort Bayard 

 must be much more frequent than is required on the sandy soil at Halsey 

 or the gravel soil at the Wasatch. Naturally, more cultivation is needed 

 in New Mexico and Southern California than in the north becase of the 

 loTV humidity of the air and the rapid evaporation of moisture from the 

 soil. 



At most of the government nurseries, it is customary to cultivate 

 every 7 to 10 days, although at Halsey 3 to 5 cultivations during the season 

 have been considered sufficient. At Halsey it has been the practice to 

 cease cultivation from the first to the middle of August to allow the 

 seedlings to "harden up" before winter. Weeds continue to grow after 

 this but assist in hardening the seedlings and do not make sufficeint 

 growth to form seeds. 



Mulching. 



Mulching is usually used to protect seed during the germination 

 period, to protect seedlings from frost effect, to retain moisture in the 

 soil and occasionally to retard growth in spring. The best mulches are 

 tree leaves, sphagnum or other mosses, straw or hay. The ideal mulch 

 is one free from seeds which are likely to be introduced into the nursery. 

 It should also fit closely enough ot protect the seedlings and yet allOTf 

 :.eration. Most commercial nurseryman prefer leaves because of their 

 advantage in the above respects and because they are cheap and have a 

 remarkably high fertilizer value. 



During the germination period, mulching has a tendency to hold the 

 soil at a uniform temperature, to retain soil moisture and to prevent the 

 baking cf the top layer. The practice is an excellent one but since germi- 



