THE FOREST NURSERY 277 



by one man who draws it back and forth crosswise of the bed by 

 means of a straight handle similar to that in the ordinary garden 

 rake. 



The Planet Jr. seed drill of American origin, extensively used 

 by truck gardeners and farmers, is the only seed drill widely used 

 in forest nurseries in the United States. It is used in sowing 

 locust, Osage orange, and a few other broadleaved species in open 

 seedbeds, and in sowing yellow pine and other conifers in seedbeds 

 on some of the National Forests. It is operated by one man who 

 pushes it by means of two handles lengthwise of the bed. It is 

 not practical for seeding hi closely-spaced drills running cross- 

 wise of narrow beds, nor is it entirely satisfactory for sowing 

 coniferous seed, as the line in which it falls is too narrow and 

 unless special precautions are taken most species are covered too 

 deeply (Fig. 61). 



FIG. 61. The Planet Jr. seed drill. 



16. BROADCAST SEEDING. In broadcast seeding the seed is 

 scattered over the bed as evenly as possible, usually by hand. 

 If the bed has previously been rolled, the top soil should be slightly 

 loosened by raking in order to prevent the seed from moving 

 after it strikes the soil. An ordinary garden rake will serve for 

 this purpose, but where there are a large number of beds to 

 seed a special rake as wide as the bed is preferable. When the 

 surface of the bed is flat and 4 feet wide, a 4-foot strip of hard 

 wood into which 6-inch spikes are inserted at l|-inch intervals to 

 form the teeth makes an excellent rake for the purpose. When 



