REFORESTATION IN MASSACHUSETTS. 9 



Raising Transplants from Seed. 



Level or gently sloping well-drained land should be selected 

 for a nursery, the soil being preferably a sandy loam, free from 

 stones. Any length of bed is practicable, but the most con- 

 venient width is 4 to 6 feet, with walks 2 feet wide between 

 the beds. The seed is planted in drills or broadcast, according 

 to whether it is desired to leave the seedlings in the bed two 

 years or three years before transplanting. The system that has 

 proved most efficient in our nursery practice in Massachusetts 

 is the construction of 12 by 4 foot beds, with a frame made of 

 lath and fine-mesh chicken wire. The lath gives the young^ 

 seedlings the proper proportion of light and shade, and the- 

 fine-mesh wire protects both seed and seedlings from mice and 

 birds. A burlap cover is used for shading in place of leaves- 

 until the seed germinates and appears through the soil, at the- 

 end of which time the burlap may be removed for a portion 

 of each day, and finally dispensed with, rolled up and stored 

 for the following season. 



A bed 12 by 4 feet takes approximately three-quarters of a 

 pound of seed and produces from 5,000 to 15,000 seedlings, 

 according to the kind of seed used and the success with which 

 they are germinated. Seed may be planted in April or May, 

 but it is usually more convenient to wait until June, when the 

 season for digging transplants is over and more time can be 

 devoted to the work of seeding and care of the new crop. 



The seed germinates in about three weeks' time and makes 

 its first year's growth within a couple of months. The seed- 

 lings are usually left in the original bed for two years, then 

 transplanted into longer beds and spaced from Ij to 2 inches 

 apart to prevent crowding. They remain here for two years 

 more, and are then ready for permanent planting on waste 

 land. 



A tree so planted is called a four-year transplant, and is the 

 ideal tree for use in reforestation. In old pastures, where the 

 grass is short and there is no great quantity of brush, the two-- 

 year seedling may be used with success. 



