STARTING A WHITE PINE PLANTATION. 



PREPARATION OF SEEDBED, SOWING, AND SHADING. 



One of the first considerations in starting a seedbed of white pine is 

 the choice of a suitable situation. The most important requirements 

 are as follows: 



(1) A deep, porous, sandy loam soil. It is not necessary that the 

 seedbed be particularly fertile, unless it is to be used for many years, 

 so long as it has a good admixture of humus. It is important that the 

 soil be sandy or light, for in such soil there is less danger of "damp- 

 ing off," which is the result of a fungus caused by excessive moisture, 

 and of "heaving'- from frost action. 



(2) Good drainage. This is necessary no matter what the soil. 

 There must be no spots where the Avater will stand either on the sur- 

 face or in the soil even for a few hours. 



(3) New soil. Where possible, land should be used which has not 

 been recently cropped. It is also desirable that the nursery should 

 be some distance from any cropped field. The advantage of such land 

 is that it will contain few or no weeds, and hence will require far less 

 hoeing and expensive hand weeding. Some of the most successful 

 nurseries in this country have been made in the midst of scrubby 

 woods. The brush and trees were ' ' grubbed" out, and the soil (sandy 

 loam) completely pulverized with plow and harrow. The cost of pre- 

 paring such a nursery will range from $20 to $100 per acre, according 

 to the condition of the land and the cost of labor. For the home 

 woodlot, however, a small plot may be prepared at no expense except 

 a few hours' work. 



(4) Convenient location. In selecting the location of the seedbed, 

 nearness to the house of the care-taker, to the land which it is pro- 

 posed to plant, and to a water supply are all worth consideration. 



The location having been chosen, it should be completely cleared of 

 stumps and debris and brought to an even surface. The land should 

 be plowed moderately deep, and harrowed until thoroughly pulverized. 

 Seedbeds do not need to be raised above the general level unless the 

 soil is wet. They are preferably laid out on the level ground in beds 

 4 feet wide and any multiple of 6 feet long, as 24, 60, or 120. 



The rows in the seedbed may be laid out 6 to 12 inches apart, 6 

 inches being sufficient when a single drill is to be sown, 10 inches when 

 two drills are made in each row, and 12 inches when three drills are 

 made. The marker (see fig. 1) is made of triangular strips of wood (a). 

 The strips may be from one-half to 1 inch in thickness and from 12 to 

 18 inches long, as desired; but the size should be uniform. Should 

 the planter desire only one drill in each row, single triangular strips 

 should be set 6 inches apart against cross strips -(b) near either end. The 

 whole can be made firm by a diagonal strip. (c). For the two-drill row 

 two triangular strips should be placed 1 to l inches apart, and the sets 

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