FOREST PLANTING 145 



before planting seed. In lieu of turning the entire land, furrows 

 may be plowed at the intervals desired for rows. Two furrows 

 thrown one way are better than one, with the seed planted in the 

 middle of the loose earth. 



Direct seeding of nut-bearing trees requires that from four to 

 six times as many seeds as seedlings be planted per acre, in order to 

 insure an adequate stand. This has proved necessary in Ohio 

 plantings, owing to failure in germination, loss by rodents, weed 

 competition, and other causes. Where the ground is plowed and 

 the young seedlings are given subsequent cultivation, less seed is 

 required. 



Direct seeding with other species of trees than the nut type is 

 not often practicable. Ash and sugar maple plantings may be 

 established by sowing the seed broadcast on prepared ground and 

 then harrowing in or sowing in shallow drills at the desired inter- 

 vals. Objection to this method is that it is often not possible or 

 practicable to plow the ground. In small plantings it is as econom- 

 ical to use seedlings. Broadcast sowings cannot be cultivated, 

 hence weed and grass competition may seriously affect the stand. 

 Again, it is difficult to control the density of stand, which may be 

 either too thick or too thin. 



Direct seeding of conifers such as pine and spruce, is likely to 

 give poor results in Ohio, and the seed is too expensive to risk its 

 use in this manner. 



The age and size of planting stock is given in the accompany- 

 ing table. On ground where there is little competition from weeds 

 and brush, one-year-old seedlings of ash, tulip poplar, and red oak, 

 can be used, especially if the ground is plowed. In general, two- 

 year seedlings or 1 1 transplants of basswood and sugar maple 

 are better, since they do not grow so rapidly the first season as the 

 first-named group. For planting in heavy sod land two-year seed- 

 lings or transplants of hardwoods give best results. 



Most coniferous stock require more time to develop to suitable 

 planting size for Ohio conditions than the hardwoods. The larch 

 and bald cypress, however, can be used when one year old if planted 

 on cultivated ground. Otherwise the larch should be two years 

 old. Two-year seedlings or 1 1 transplants of Scotch, pitch, and 

 short-leaf pine may be used under favorable conditions, otherwise 

 1 2 transplants are best. 



Three-year seedlings (if not crowded in seedbed) of white, red, 

 and Austrian pine and Norway spruce, may be used in cultivated 



