Practical Sylviculture 129 



since more time is required for digging and setting the 

 plants. Spacing 6X6 feet requires 1210 trees to the 

 acre, so that two men working together should plant from 

 three-quarters of an acre to one acre of broadleaf seedlings 

 and from one to approximately one and one-half acres of 

 conifers. The cost of planting depends on the skill of the 

 planters, and on local wages. When workmen can be 

 obtained for $2 a day, coniferous planting should not 

 cost more than $3 or $4 to the acre, while broadleaf 

 planting will cost proportionately more. 



Treatment after planting in the farm nursery 



It is always advisable to care for a plantation until 

 the trees have grown to such a size that they may take 

 care of themselves. Small seedlings may be choked by a 

 rank growth of grass, weeds and brush. Farm stock, 

 particularly cattle, must be kept out, since they will nip 

 off the tops of the seedlings as well as destroy many of 

 them by trampling. It is always advisable to exclude all 

 stock from the permanent woodlot and particularly from 

 plantations. In a short time a few cattle may destroy an 

 entire plantation, thus losing several years of work and 

 effort. It may be advisable, when possible, to cultivate 

 the plantation with a horse cultivator for a few years to 

 keep down weeds and grasses, and as soon as the trees 

 become large enough to crowd each other and interfere 

 with their growth, thinnings should be carried on. Instruc- 

 tions for thinning and improvement work will be given 

 under a separate chapter. 



