THE HOME NURSERY 171 



to purchase them in the form of seedlings or transplants, 

 unless the local crops have failed, as of course they often do. In 

 growing on from two-year seedlings, larch, pine, Douglas fir, 

 etc., often pay, especially Douglas fir, which is an expensive 

 tree to buy in at a large size. Experience will soon teach 

 what can be most easily raised or grown, and what not, and 

 when a species has failed more than once, it is better to give 

 it up, unless the cause of failure is exceptional. 



AREA OF A HOME NURSERY. 



The exact area which is required for nursery stock on 

 any estate is easily ascertained by experience. As a general 

 rule, however, it may be said that when all seedlings are 

 bought in at two-year, and planted out at four years, one acre 

 of ground is required for every thirty thousand plants planted 

 out annually. This enables half the ground to be stocked 

 with potatoes or roots for one season after a crop of trees has 

 been cleared off. Where the plants stand for three years in 

 the home nursery or are raised from seed, more space will be 

 required, and one-fourth may usually be added for walks, 

 hedges, fences, etc., round and between the cropped area. 

 Allowing three thousand plants to the acre, it follows that 

 one-tenth of the area annually planted should be allowed for 

 a home nursery, where nothing but ordinary forest trees are 

 grown, and where all planted are grown on for the time allowed. 

 In the case of avenue, park, or ornamental trees being grown, 

 or a certain proportion of the trees bought in ready for planting 

 out, the area may be more or less, as the case may be, but, as 

 already said, experience will soon settle this point. 



ASPECT, SOIL, AND SITUATION. 



The aspect of a home nursery may be of almost any kind, 

 except perhaps due east. An eastern aspect is always exposed 

 to the rays of the rising sun, and when these fall directly on 

 plants which have just experienced the effects of a sharp 

 spring or May frost the result may be disastrous. It is a 



