114 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



class plants are pricked out in the nursery, and the 

 third class, comprising the weak and misshapen plants, 

 are thrown away. 



n. Tending Seed Beds and Nursery Lines. 



The seeds, as well as the young plants, require a 

 certain amount of tending, more especially protection 

 against injurious influences. The details of such tending 

 and protecting are given under the head of Forest 

 Protection. In this place only the more important 

 measures directly connected with nursery work will be 

 indicated. 



(1.) The seeds must be protected against birds. These 

 may be kept off by shooting or frightening. If this is 

 impracticable, small seeds may receive a coating of red 

 lead, or the beds may be protected by placing on them 

 thorny brushwood, branches of coniferous trees, grass, 

 etc., or nets may be spread over them, resting on sup- 

 ports, so as to keep them at a suitable distance from the 

 ground. The latter have the disadvantage - that they 

 must be lifted when weeding has to be done. Wire 

 netting, bent in a semicircle over the seed beds, is 

 most suitable ; it needs little or no support and lasts a 

 long time. 



Mice, moles, and mole crickets often do much damage ; 

 they must be caught or poisoned. Mice may be caught 

 in pots buried in the pathways and half filled with 

 water ; these animals are in the habit of running heed- 

 lessly along the paths, when they fall into the pots. 



Earthworms do damage by dragging small seedlings 

 into their burrows. 



