3 



ble. Seedlings may be purchased, but it -is better and cheaper to raise 

 them on the tract. Bulletin 29 of the Forest Service gives instruction 

 in all phases of nursery practice. 



The nursery should be located on fertile, Avell-drained soil, prefer- 

 ably a sandy loam, and beds should be carefully prepared by working 

 the ground thoroughly. The seed may be soAvn broadcast or in drills. 

 Broadcast sowing gives the larger number of seedlings, but drilling is 

 better because the beds can be more easily kept free from weeds. 



The seed should be planted in shallow drills, 4 to 6 inches apart, and 

 covered with no more than one-quarter of an inch of earth. Forty 

 to 50 seeds per linear foot of drill should be used; the entire surface 

 of the bed should then be packed firmly with a board or light roller. 



One pound contains about 65,000 seeds; these will plant at least 

 1,500 linear feet of seed drills, and, if seed beds 4 by 12 feet in size are 

 used, will occupy about 1,000 square feet of nursery space, including 

 paths. 



The planted seed should germinate within from three to five weeks, 

 and during the first year should reach a height of 1J to 2-| inches. 

 The young trees require partial shade during the first summer, after 

 which they can endure the full sunlight. 



PLANTING. 



When 2 years old, seedlings may be transferred to the permanent 

 site. It is better, however , to transplant them at this age into nursery 

 rows, and place them in the plantation when 3 years old. Although 

 this will increase the cost of the plant material, it will often pay, since 

 transplanted stock is more hardy and vigorous. 



In planting, the seedlings should be spaced from 4 to 6 feet apart 

 each way. The poorer the situation the greater the number of trees 

 required to maintain forest conditions and th'e closer must be the 

 planting. The form- of the desired crop must also be considered. 



In pure stands Norway spruce develops to excellent advantage, and 

 is satisfactory for commercial planting on a large scale. It cleans its 

 bole well in such stands, preserves the soil fertility, and makes a per- 

 fect forest floor. In many instances, however, it may well be mixed 

 with other species. The best associates are white and red pine, Euro- 

 pean larch, and chestnut. 



CULTIVATION AND CARE. 



The trees require no cultivation after planting. Their great toler- 

 ance enables them to survive the shade of brush and weeds and eventu- 

 ally to overtop them. 



The greatest enemy of the spruce is fire, which should be carefully 

 excluded from plantations. 



[Cir. 65] 



