20 



THE NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL. 



Planting should be done in the fall or in the spring before growth 

 begins. In regions where there is a niinv and drv 



Time for pl&ntinc i i 11 1 1 t i 



season planting should usually be done at the !><- 

 ginning of the rainy season, as soon as the soil is sufficiently 

 and there is a reasonable probability that it will remain so. Yo pi 

 vent growth starting before time for planting, the seedlings should 

 kept in snow pits or other cool places. 



On all sites seedlings should be planted where the soil is the best and 

 where they will be protected from evaporation, as on the northeast 

 side of stumps, bowlders, or brush. 



NURSERIES. 



Since nurseries are necessarily more or less permanent, the greatest 

 care must be exercised in selecting sites. The follow- 



Selection of sites. . . , -, , IT*-- ,1 i 



ing points must be considered : Proximity to the plant- 

 ing sites ; facilities for shipping to near-by forests ; acreage, soil, sur- 

 face, slope, aspect, elevation, water supply, etc. An altitude at which 

 the largest mixture of forest trees is found and at which most of the 

 important planting types blend is well suited for a nursery. This is 

 usually on real timberland at the lower edge of the actual Forest. A 

 deep, rich, well-drained sandy loam with an admixture of gravel is 

 the best soil. It is exceedingly important that sites suitable for large 

 nurseries be selected and held in reserve for future use. 



Nursery sites must be cleared of trees and rocks and the soil broken 



up, harrowed, leveled, raked, and worked like a gar- 

 of^rouncL r a * * n den before seed beds are made. It is often necessary 



to fertilize heavily with fine well-rotted manure, espe- 

 cially if the soil has been cropped. The beds are usually 6 feet wide 

 and of any convenient length. To insure drainage, they should be 

 raised from 2 to 3 inches above the paths. The paths are usually 18 

 inches wide. 



The seed may be sown either in drills from 4 to 6 inches apart or 



broadcast upon the beds. The latter method is pref- 

 ni5seriesf owine ta erable, because it produces a much larger number of 



seedlings from the same area. If sown in drills and 

 by hand, the drills should run across, or if by a drill seed sower, length- 

 wise of the beds. Machine sowing is preferable in large nurseries. 

 Sowing should ordinarily be done in the spring, about the time when 



early garden seed is planted in the locality. If done 



Time of sowing. i i -i ,1 j j-ii u 



too early, while the ground is still cold and wet, ger- 

 mination will be slow and many of the seeds may rot. 



Seed should be very carefully covered, since if the cover is too 



shallow they may wash out and if too deep they may 



either rot or lie over until another season. A safe 



rule is to cover small seeds to a depth of about twice their diameter. 



Firming the bed with a board will prevent the soil from washing 



when watered. Immediately after planting it is well 



to cover the beds with a very thin mulch of leaves, 



moss, needles, or burlap. This keeps the surface moist and hastens 



germination. The mulch should be thin and light enough to allow 



the seedlings to break through the surface or, if heavier, should be 



removed when germination takes place. The material used should 



