Production of Planting 



161 



fer seedlings can be produced on an 

 acre with seedbed densities of 30 plants 

 to the square foot. Correspondingly 

 greater acreage production can be had 

 under densities of 90 to 100 plants to 

 the square foot. Transplanted conifers 

 in beds with 6-inch row spacing will 

 approximate 400,000 plants an acre. 

 Row-planted deciduous trees will pro- 

 duce 150,000 usable plants an acre. 



In the Southern States, most of the 

 species used for reforestation will at- 

 tain field-planting size in a single grow- 

 ing season. In the Northern States, 

 because of a shorter season and slower- 

 growing species, from 2 to 5 years are 

 needed to produce satisfactory field- 

 planting stock. The acreage of nursery 

 land required to meet an annual pro- 

 duction quota, therefore, is a matter 

 of arithmetic that takes into account 

 species, season, and proper considera- 

 tion of the fact that enough land must 

 be provided to permit rotations of trees 

 and soiling crops. 



The ideal nursery site is most likely 

 to be a smooth, flat, moderately sandy 

 soil on a stream terrace. The site should 

 have a uniform slope, preferably in one 

 direction in order to facilitate surface 

 drainage. Terraces are needed where 

 the nursery is on an erosive soil with a 

 slope in excess of 2 percent. In conif- 

 erous nurseries, Nichols-type terraces 

 are considered best so that tractor- 

 drawn cultivating equipment can cross 

 them. Broadleaf trees usually are 

 grown in drill rows spaced 16 to 42 

 inches apart. A hilly or irregular sur- 

 face adds materially to the cost of op- 

 erations; it is poor economy to begin 

 production on anything but the best 

 available site, even though the initial 

 investment may seem high. 



Serious consideration also should be 

 given to the hazards of flooding; the 

 lateness of spring frosts and the earli- 

 ness of fall frosts ; the season at which 

 digging can be started and its relation- 

 ship to the planting area; accessibility 

 to the nursery on all-weather roads; 

 availability of public utilities electric 

 power, telephone, telegraph, and rail- 

 roads and other shipping facilities. 



TEXTURE OF SOIL bears importantly 

 on all cultural operations of a nursery. 

 It must be friable to permit working 

 in the fall and winter and earlier in the 

 spring than one does with ordinary 

 farm crops. Sandy loam soils are con- 

 sidered best. They should have a silt 

 and clay content of 15 to 25 percent, 

 and an alkalinity range of 5.5 to 6.5 

 pH. Extremely sandy soils are unsuit- 

 able because leaching removes plant 

 nutrients at a rapid rate. On the other 

 hand, heavy soils demand greater care 

 in nearly all cultural operations and 

 are subject to frost heaving in the 

 colder climates. 



If the topsoil is a fertile, porous, 

 sandy loam that is underlaid with a re- 

 tentive subsoil, it is ideal for producing 

 nursery stock. A subsoil with a hard- 

 pan should be avoided because it pre- 

 vents good drainage. Seedlings grow 

 vigorously with well-developed roots in 

 a deep soil of good quality; they de- 

 velop a ramifying root system with few 

 fibrous roots where the soil is poor. 



THE SPECIES of the stock to be pro- 

 duced has some bearing on the selec- 

 tion of the nursery site, but it is not 

 of first importance. It is wise, however, 

 to locate the nursery within the plant- 

 ing region. Many nurseries produce 

 both conifer species and deciduous 

 species. The deciduous species gen- 

 erally are tolerant of a wider variety 

 of soil conditions. Conifers do best in 

 soils with an alkalinity range of from 

 5.0 to 6.0 pH. Soils with a higher alka- 

 linity are more favorable to fungi, 

 which cause mortality in young conif- 

 erous seedlings. 



Seasonal laborers are required in 

 nursery work, particularly for 2 or 3 

 months in the spring and early sum- 

 mer and in the fall. The nursery should 

 be located where labor is available and 

 where the minimum amount of time 

 is required to go to and from work. 



The first step in developing a nurs- 

 ery site is to bring the soil into good 

 physical condition. Then suitable fa- 

 cilities buildings for storage and 

 equipment must be built to meet the 



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