122 PRACTICAL FORESTRY 
grade of potash manure is wood ash. It is an all- 
round plant manure. Hardwood ash contains five per 
cent of potash, besides phosphate and the carbonates 
of lime and magnesia. It is Nature’s complete fer- 
tilizer, easy to handle, and free from offensive odor. 
When mixed with leaf-mold, which furnishes humus, 
it is still better. Chicken manure and wood ashes 
are often mixed by farmers; but this is a mistake, 
for one neutralizes the strength of the other. Sheep 
manure is excellent. It is difficult, however, to im- 
prove on a compost of manure from grain-fed horses 
with leaf-mold and lime. 
Some prefer to sow the seeds in lines about 
eighteen inches apart. This is best for broad-leafed 
species, but in the case of conifers, it is better to 
divide the nursery into beds by paths between. The 
beds should be about four feet wide and twelve feet 
long. If the soil ‘is moist, the beds should be higher 
than the walks; if dry, lower. On the whole, how- 
ever, it is better to have beds and paths on the same 
level. When the bed is higher than the walk, the 
edges wash down, young plants are washed out, and 
the bed dries out too quickly. It should be so ar- 
ranged that each bed can be covered with a slat 
frame. Plaster laths are good for the purpose. The 
space between the slats should be the same in width 
that the slats are wide. This gives half-shade. Each 
