TREATMENT OF SEEDING AND PLANTING SITES 201 



depth of early root penetration. When the undisturbed turf is 

 likely to cause the surface soil to become extremely dry, both from 

 the withdrawal of water to sustain the dense vegetation and from 

 its cutting off the percolation of the precipitation into the soil, 

 plowing is advantageous. 



The chief advantages derived from plowing or other deep tillage 

 of the soil are as follows. Against these must be set the large in- 

 crease in the initial cost. 



In direct seeding: 



a. The seeds come into intimate contact with the mineral soil 

 and as a consequence germination is more uniform and certain. 



6. The young plants become more quickly established through 

 an increase in soil moisture and plant food. 



c. The seedlings are not so likely to be smothered or crowded 

 out by other vegetation. 



In planting: 



a. Smaller and younger stock can be used in the regeneration. 



6. Because of the more rapid growth and less danger of loss a 

 wider spacing is permissible. 



c. The danger from late and early frosts is lessened. 



In recent years much controversy has arisen regarding the 

 efficiency of deep tillage when the soil is turned over by plowing. 

 Moller, 1 after ten years of repeated experiments, clearly shows the 

 benefits of raw humus (dry turf) on the growth of conifers in sandy 

 soils. From his investigations the turning over of the soil with 

 the plow so as to bring to the surface a layer of 3 or 4 inches of 

 non-humous sand is very bad practice; so also the seeding or 

 planting of pine in furrows from which the humus has been re- 

 moved is poor practice. The better practice is the thorough culti- 

 vation and loosening of the soil by mixing the surface humus and 

 sand together. Moller contends that the worse kinds of raw humus 

 through proper treatment become the best kinds of fertilizer for 

 pine. Among the roller plows the form devised by Weber which 

 works the soil to a depth of 12 inches and thoroughly loosens it 

 without turning under the surface humus is one of the best. The 

 Danish rolling harrow 2 works on" the same principle but loosens 



1 Moller, Alfred: Demonstration und Vortrag im Versuchsgarten der 

 mykologischen Abteilung. (Zeitschrift f. Forst- u. Jagdwesen, S. 330-332. 

 1912.) 



2 Metzger, Forstassessor: Einiges iiber die danische Rollegge. (Allge- 

 meine Forst- u. Jagd-Zeitung, S. 279-283. 1900.) 



