80 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



way, and the o^rowtli Avould !te much more satisfactory if they were never 

 set more than three feet ai)art. Trees for timber plantations should 

 be set when they are very young. If seedlings, that is, plants which have 

 not been trans]>lanted from the seed bed to the nursery, are used, they 

 ought not to be over four years old when planted out and the per cent 

 of loss will be less if younger plants are used. Plants once or twice 

 transplanted are more easily moved and made to grow after moving, 

 because of their compact root-systems, and may be safely planted out 

 at a greater age than seedlings. In case such plants are used, however, 

 it must be remembered that the cost of making the plantation is much 

 increased^ both because of the increased initial cost of the stock, and the 

 greater labor in planting out the larger trees. 



In case larger plantations are to be made, or a systematic planting 

 is to be undertaken over a considerable area, for a number of years, 

 it is much cheaper to grow the trees to be used, than it is to buy them. 

 This is of course true in any case, but for small plantings it may not seem 

 worth while to go to the extra pains required to grow the trees from 

 the seed. A seed bed may be made in any convenient place where a gar- 

 den bed would be located. i)referably on level, well-drained soil, sandy 

 loam or gravelly loam being well adapted to the purpose. The beds may 

 be of any length, and about four feet wide. The seed may be sown 

 broadcast or in drills, either way having some advantages not possessed 

 by the other, although drilling makes cultivating possible. Seed may 

 be purchased of nurserymen or may be gathered in the neighborhood. 

 In general, trees which are isolated bear more often and more freely than 

 those growing in the forest, hence such trees should be visited, at the 

 proper season, when seed is desired. If the seeds are gathered in the 

 fall they should be stored during the winter in a cool, dry place, like a 

 root cellar, or, as is often desirable, they may be packed in a box, in 

 which numerous small holes have been bored, with sand, and buried out 

 of doors on top of a knoll. The seeds should in this case, be spread out 

 in thin layers, alternating with layers of sand, and the whole covered 

 with a Avire netting cover, if there is danger of mice or squirrels getting 

 at the seeds. In some cases it is well to plant the seeds as soon as gath- 

 ered. This is notably the case with the elms and poplars, and some other 

 trees, which mature seed in the spring or early summer. In sowing the 

 seed should be covered lightly with fine soil, and at a depth depending 

 somewhat on the size of the seed, but two or three times their own 

 depth is usually sufficient to cover them. Seeds should be covered care- 

 fully and the soil rolled or patted down upon them to insure sufficient 

 moisture for bringing about germination. The seedlings must be kept 

 moist while they are in the seed bed, and should be screened when the 

 sun is very hot in the summer. Screens made of lath answer well for 

 this purpose. When one, or tAvo, or at most, three years old, seedlings 

 should be transplanted to the plantation, if it is decided not to trans- 

 plant them to nursery rows, before setting them out in the plantation. 

 This is best done in our climate in spring, but may be done in early 

 fall. The essential thing for success, in transplanting is care. Care in 

 taking up, care in handling and care in setting out again, and those 

 plants Avhich are least injured are the ones which are quickest to start 

 new growth and to make good groAvth afterAvards. In taking up, the 

 best method is to sink a spade deep into the ground fiA^e or six inches 



