74 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is absolutely necessary as the seedlings cannot endure an ex- 

 cessive amount of water. 



The little trees also need some shade during the early 

 months of their existence. Our seed beds include two one acre 

 blocks that are covered with a lattice roof, supported six feet 

 above the ground on posts and 2x4's. The slats forming the roof 

 are 2/^ inches wide with an equal space between the slats, When 

 young the seedlings are as tender as any garden plant, and be- 

 cause of their slow growth they require the protection of the 

 shade frames during the first summer. 



The seedbed blocks are subdivided into seedbeds. Each in- 

 dividual seedbed is six and one half feet wide and as long as the 

 seedbed block. The beds are divided by fifteen inch paths 

 which are about four inches lower than the level of the beds. 

 Besides affording a passage between the bed the paths provide a 

 ready drainage. 



PLANTING SEASON. 



The seed may be planted in the fall anytime after the middle 

 of October or in the spring up until the middle of June. Fall 

 planting has some advantages over spring planting, and at the 

 same time ithas some disadvantages. If the season is favorable 

 and the seedbeds are in good condition the seed should be plant- 

 ed in the fall. The plants will then come up early in the spring 

 and continue growing throughout the summer, producing seed- 

 lings four inches in height. If April happens to be an unfavor- 

 able month and a late freeze occurs the entire crop may be 

 kiUed before the seedlings are a month old. 



April, May and early June are the months for spring seeding. . 

 The earher the seed is planted the larger will be the plants at the 

 end of the season's growth. The advantage of spring planting is 

 that the danger of spring freezing is avoided. 



The seed may be planted in drills or sown broadcast. We 

 like the drill method; because we can care for the seedlings and 

 weed the beds more satisfactorily; the beds look neater, and we 

 know by experience that the trees can be dug from the drill beds 

 with less injury to the roots than they can from the broadcasted 

 beds. In either method of planting the seed should not be 

 covered to a depth exceeding three times their diameter. When 



