956 Rural School Leaflet 



As a rule, the seeds of the broad-leaved trees should be planted in rows 

 about 12 to 18 inches apart. This will allow plenty of room for cultivation 

 after the seedlings have begun to come up. A square rod of ground will 

 accommodate 11 rows 18 inches apart, and each row should be able to 

 grow successfully about 50 seedlings, making a capacity of 550 trees for 

 the plat. This, of course, is for hardwoods, and it is recommended that 

 the children experiment with them in preference to the conifers, which are 

 much more liable to disease and more difficult to raise. 



Time of planting. — Early spring is usually the best time to plant tree 

 seeds, except those of species such as the silver maple, red maple, white 

 elm, and any others that mature in the late spring. It would be difficult 

 to keep t-iose seeds over the summer, and consequently they should be 

 planted as soon as they mature. White oak acorns should be planted 

 in the fall. If they are kept over winter only a few of them will germi- 

 nate, and such as do germinate will be slow in getting started; but, as 

 a general rule, the sowing of most tree seeds should be done as early in 

 the spring as the ground can be worked. 



Nuts and acorns of good quality may be planted two or three inches 

 apart in the row, while smaller seeds, such as those of the maples, ashes, 

 and elms, should be spaced about a half inch or an inch apart. The depth 

 of planting should never be greater than twice the average diameter of 

 the seeds. It is better that they should be planted a little too shallow than 

 too deep, because if planted too deep the sprout is often unable to push 

 its way through the soil. 



Cultivation. — Care must be taken to see that weeds are frequently 

 removed, and the more attention and cultivation that can be given through- 

 out the summer, the better will be the results at the end of the growing 

 season. If rains do not furnish enough moisture, the beds should be watered 

 once or twice a week. A mere sprinkling of water will not do. Whenever 

 the moisture fails, a liberal watering should be given; and in order to pre- 

 vent too rapid evaporation, watering either in the early morning or late 

 in the afternoon is the best. 



After the first season it may be desirable to protect the trees during 

 the winter by a mulch of straw or leaves, which should be six inches to a 

 foot in depth and held in place by poles or slats to prevent the wind from 

 blowing it away. 



Transplanting. — When the trees are one year old, all except the very 

 slowest-growing are ready to be transplanted from the seed bed to a trans- 

 plant bed, or to a small plantation where they can still have some care 

 and attention. During this second year, they should have more room for 

 the development of both root and crown. The protection afforded by 

 older trees is often of great value; therefore, if possible, the transplant 



