THE FOREST NURSERY 269 



tion and the young seedlings given partial shade for a few months 

 following germination. 



In Europe alder is usually grown in seedbeds under a high 

 cover of wide-spreading trees which provide approximately half 

 shade. Birch seedlings are very small and delicate. They are 

 likely to be killed by a few days' exposure to full sunlight at the 

 time of germination unless protected by shading. They grow 

 rapidly and can usually be exposed to full sunlight 6 to 8 weeks 

 after germination. 



Small-seeded broadleaved species grown in seedbeds under 

 shade are usually sown broadcast or in closely-spaced drills ex- 

 tending crosswise of the beds. They are subjected to the same 

 manner of treatment as coniferous species during the period of 

 germination and early growth. 



Gayer 1 recommends for small-seeded species, such as spruce, 

 larch, and most pines, drills $ inch deep and 1 j inches broad, and a 

 drill distance of 4 inches. A drill distance of more than 4 inches 

 is seldom justified with slow-growing conifers that are carried but 

 1 or 2 years in the seedbed. A wider spacing does not permit 

 sufficient utilization of the soil and abnormally increases the cost 

 of the stock. Larch and other species of rapid juvenile growth 

 and slower-growing species that remain longer than 2 years in 

 the seedbed permit a wider spacing of the drills. 



The drills in most coniferous nurseries in the United States 

 where drill seeding is practiced are usually made at from 4- to 

 6-inch intervals. The former practice was to space the drills at 

 from 6- to 12-inch intervals and to use hand cultivators in tending 

 the seedbeds. The tendency during recent years has been toward 

 closer spacing and increasing the number of seedlings per square 

 foot. 



In some of the larger nurseries, particularly those on the National 

 Forests, the drills run lengthwise of the beds and the seeding is 

 done with the Planet Jr. hand drill which automatically regu- 

 lates the spacing of the drills, the quantity of seed, and the depth 

 of cover. Although this method permits uniform and rapid 

 sowing, better cultivation and control of damping-off, and easier 

 root pruning and lifting of the stock, it is being abandoned due to 

 the relatively small number of seedlings produced per square foot 

 of seedbed as compared with broadcast seeding. 



1 Gayer, Karl: Der Waldbau. 4. Aufl., S. 341. Berlin, 1898. 



