THE FOREST NURSERY 265 



length as the width of the bed. Its diameter in its wider parts is 



12 inches and in the narrower parts 11 inches. The wider divi- 

 sions are 13 inches wide and the narrower ones only 4 inches. 

 Where this method of seeding is practiced the beds are 6 feet wide. 

 When the roller is drawn over the bed, it leaves four depressions 



13 inches wide and \ inch deep, separated by slightly elevated 

 strips 4 inches wide. The seed is sown only in the depressions. 

 This method of seedbed formation is highly recommended by 

 Kensington. 1 When spruce is grown in fully stocked seedbeds 

 4 feet wide, the plants in the interior of the beds are usually 

 dwarfed as compared with those on and near the border. This 

 detriment to the production of high grade stock can be obviated 

 by the above method of culture. 



4. Curbing the Seedbeds. A curb of wood or stone is often 

 placed around the seedbeds when less than 6 feet in width. The 

 curb checks the washing of the soil in raised beds and permits the 

 development of a full stand of seedlings along the borders. Conif- 

 erous seedbeds are curbed the first year in many nurseries in the 

 United States. The curb is usually constructed from 4 by 1 inch 

 strips of relatively inexpensive lumber, set on edge and nailed to 

 stakes driven into the soil at suitable intervals. The upper edge 

 of the curb should be flush with, or but slightly above, the sur- 

 face of the seedbed. When the ground is sloping and terracing 

 is necessary, heavy curbs made of stones or poles may be neces- 

 sary on the lower sides of the seedbeds while no curb whatever is 

 needed on the upper. It is becoming more and more the practice 

 to dispense with the curb in many of the large commercial nurseries 

 and depress the paths but slightly below the margin of the beds. 



5. Time of Seeding. The control of the moisture in the 

 seedbeds through irrigation and shading and their protection from 

 birds and rodents make it possible to extend the time during which 

 the seeding can be done in the nursery much beyond that accept- 

 able for direct seeding in the open. Seedbeds may be sown in most 

 parts of the United States at any time when the soil is suitable for 

 working from late autumn to early summer. The best time within 

 this period depends upon the following: 



a. The species. 



b. The local climate. 



c. The method of nursery practice. 



1 Kensington, W. C.: State afforestation in New Zealand. (Report, Dept. 

 of Lands. Wellington, 1911.) 



