296 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



and affords good results. It is often used in small temporary 

 nurseries in Europe, particularly in Austria and Germany, and 

 might very well be introduced into small ranger nurseries and 

 into farmers' nurseries in the United States. 



A more durable form of brush screen, often used in small nur- 

 series located in or near the woods, is made as follows: Slender 

 branches of suitable kinds are woven into a framework 4 feet 

 wide and 6 or 12 feet long. The frame is made of small poles 

 nailed or lashed together. Considerable care is required in order 

 to make durable brush screens with the branches uniformly 

 spaced. They are raised about a foot above the seedbeds on 

 stakes driven into the soil. 



32. Lath or Slat Screens. Lath or slat screens are the kinds 

 more generally used in forest nurseries in the United States. 

 Three general types are in use: 



1. The 4 by 6 ft. and 4 by 12 ft. screens. 



2. The rolled screen 4 ft. wide and of any desired length. 



3. The 4 by 12 ft. seedbed box. 



In all of these types the spacing varies with the degree of shading 

 required. Usually the intervening spaces are of the same width 

 as the laths or slats. 



In the first type, standard laths 4 feet long and 1 T 5 ^ inches 

 wide are nailed to three strips 2 inches wide and f inch thick. 

 Two of these strips are 6 or 12 feet long, depending upon the 

 length of the screen, and are nailed at right angles to the laths 

 2 inches from either end. The other strip is oblique to the end 

 strips and serves as a brace. A 6-foot screen for half shade re- 

 quires 28 laths. It is supported from 1 foot to 1| feet above the 

 seedbed on poles or strips nailed to the tops of stakes driven into 

 the soil at the sides of the bed (Fig. 71). 



In the second type, standard laths or strips of wood from ^ inch 

 to 1| inches wide and 4 feet long, are woven with 4 soft fence 

 wires into mats the length of the seedbed. As the wires are soft, 

 the mats are easily rolled up when not in use. Stakes are driven 

 along both sides of the seedbed, on the top of which slender poles 

 or strips are nailed. The screen is adjusted over the seedbed 

 by rolling it along the poles or strips. This type of screen is 

 easily handled in working the seedbed, can be stored in the mini- 

 mum of space, and is very durable (Fig. 72). 



The third type is the standard seedbed box. It is extensively 



