Some Aspects of Buropean Forestry. 483 



For the actual stirring of the soil, various tools are used ; plows 

 and harrows are possible only where the topography and soil 

 are favorable ; ordinarily in mountainous or stony country, the 

 hoe is considered the most practicable. 



There is divergence as to the best time for soil preparation but 

 the opinion is growing that preparation in the fall is preferable to 

 that in spring; for it allows the soil time to undergo the neces- 

 sary physical and chemical changes; in this process the winter 

 frosts and absence of weedy growth are especially efficacious. 

 Fall working also brings any insect broods nearer the surface 

 where the winter frosts can penetrate and destroy them. 



The sowing itself is universally done in spring; for although 

 nature herself usually sows in fall, she offsets the manifold 

 dangers by an abundance of seed which man can not afford. 

 The sowing is therefore done in March, April or May, the time 

 being gauged so that the seed will not germinate until after the 

 danger of spring frosts is past. 



The method of sowing varies with the size of the seed and its 

 requirements. Large seed, such as acorns, are usually dibbled 

 into the prepared ground, singly or in pairs. Small seed, like 

 spruce, pine, fir, etc., is sown as a farmer sows wheat. Where 

 seed of several species is to be sown, each is usually sown 

 separately. A simple instrument much used is the seed horn. 

 For stripwise sowing under favorable conditions Hacker's Ril- 

 lensaer is sometimes used. Under very intensive conditions on 

 level sites and stoneless soil Drevitz Drill machine is used for 

 sowing pine (see Article III Management of Pine in Prussia) 

 but in the vast majority of cases the sowing is done entirely by 

 hand and the simplest tools are used to cover the seed with 

 soil. This covering of the seed is occasionally done by means of 

 a plow (furrow sowing) or harrow (broadcast sowing) ; but 

 in general a rake is used for the purpose (partial seeding). Some 

 advocate the driving in of cattle on sowing areas where the 

 soil is rather loose, in order to stamp in the seed. On hard, 

 baked soils the seed must be covered with earth from near-by 

 areas; but the chances of successful seeding under adverse con- 

 di-tions are so minimal that planting rather than sowing is used 

 on such sites. 



In order to protect the area after sowing, from sun and wind,, 

 brush is most commonly scattered or separate branches are stuck 



