268 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



for the reception of the seed or else machines are used which form 

 the drills and sow and cover the seed in a single operation. Many 

 tools and special devices have been made to facilitate drill seeding. 

 When the drills are close together, 5 inches or less, they should 

 extend crosswise of narrow beds in order to facilitate weeding and 

 hoeing. When of greater distance apart it is usually advanta- 

 geous to run them lengthwise of wider beds in order to facilitate 

 cultivation. 



Broadleaved species, such as walnut, hickory, oak, chestnut, 

 ash, maple, and catalpa, which are usually grown in the United 

 States in uncovered and unshaded seedbeds are sown in drills 

 from 6 to 30 inches apart depending upon the mode of cultivation. 

 When horses are used in cultivating the beds the drills should be 

 not less than 18 inches apart. 



Bates and Pierce 1 recommend the following practice in sowing 

 the larger-seeded broadleaved species in Nebraska and Kansas 

 when irrigation is practiced. Prior to seeding the well-graded 

 and tilled area is furrowed at 30-inch intervals. The furrows are 

 4 inches deep, and water is permitted to flow through them until 

 the soil is thoroughly saturated. The next day the seed is sown 

 in the moist furrows and covered to a depth of from 1 to 2 inches. 

 The ground is cultivated immediately afterward. Sometimes 

 water is again run in the furrows before the seed germinates. 

 When it is necessary to apply water after the trees are up, it is 

 run through temporary furrows between the rows. 



When the larger-seeded hardwoods are sown in seedbeds tilled 

 with hand cultivators or hoes, a drill spacing of from 6 to 12 

 inches is adequate for all but the most rapidly-growing species, 

 particularly when the stock remains in the seedbed but a single 

 year. 



In many of the larger commercial forest nurseries in Europe 

 the larger-seeded broadleaved species are grown in seedbeds 

 1.2 meters (3.94 feet) wide. The drills run lengthwise of the bed, 

 there being 6 drills per bed for oak and 8 for beech, ash, maple, and 

 linden. 



Small-seeded broadleaved species, like alder, birch, and red 

 gum, can seldom be successfully grown in open seedbeds. The 

 beds must be mulched or otherwise protected prior to germina- 



1 Bates, C. G. and Pierce, R. G. : Forestation of the sand hills of Nebraska 

 and Kansas. (U. S. Forest Service, Bui. 121. 1913.) 



