72 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN 



the greater scarcity of its seed and the fact that it will be 

 more subject to destruction by birds and rodents because of 

 its larger size may make planting the more practical method. 



Trees for planting can either be purchased from commer- 

 cial nurserymen or grown in nurseries established for that 

 purpose near the planting site. When only a few thousand 

 trees are needed it is cheaper to purchase them, but when ex- 

 tensive operations are contemplated, covering hundreds of 

 acres in which millions of trees will be needed, it is far prefer- 

 able for the owner to grow the trees in his own nursery. Some 

 initial outlay for the establishment of the nursery will be 

 necessary and a practical nurseryman should be employed, 

 but the saving in the cost of the trees will fully compensate 

 for these. 



One, two and three year old trees, the latter once trans- 

 planted, are usually employed in planting, the older trees be- 

 ing used for the less favorable sites. In planting they are 

 placed in rows equidistant apart, the spacing varying from 4 

 to 12 feet, with a general average of about 6 feet. The work 

 may be done either in the fall after growth has ceased or in 

 the spring before growth commences. 



The cost of planting, of course, will vary greatly with the 

 age of the trees, the number planted per acre and the accessi- 

 bility and character of the planting site. With young trees 

 and wide spacing, the cost may be as low as $6.00 per acre, 

 while in more unfavorable situations where older plants are 

 used and planting is more laborious it may be as high as 

 $16.00. A fair average, however, for those areas which a 

 timber owner would be most likely to plant up is about $8.00 

 to $10.00 per acre. 



In direct seeding, several different methods may be em- 

 ployed, such as broadcasting over the entire area with or 

 without previous preparation of the soil, sowing in strips, or 

 sowing in seed spots; but observation and experiment have 

 shown that it is necessary for seed such as Douglas fir, yellow 

 pine and western white pine to come in close contact with 

 the mineral soil in order that it may germinate and the seed- 



