174 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



iently used when bedding out, and hoeing can be more econom- 

 ically done. Their length may run the whole of the distance 

 from top to bottom of the nursery, and the fewer cross paths 

 there are the better. 



The advantages of shelter hedges in a nursery are very 

 doubtful. They add, no doubt, to its appearance, and also 

 shelter the ground from drying winds, but, beyond that, it is 

 questionable whether they pay for the expense of maintaining 

 and the ground they take up. Where shelter is necessary, it 

 is more easily secured by rows of poplars, limes, etc., which 

 can be pollarded from time to time at a height of 10 to 

 20 feet, and one row of these will shelter as much ground 

 as two or three hedges of the ordinary kind. As boundary 

 fences, neat hedges are of course most appropriate, and give 

 more shelter than a dead fence, but inside these they 

 are probably expensive luxuries, and interfere with the 

 economical working of the ground. 



MANAGEMENT. 



The successful management of a home nursery depends a 

 great deal upon the personal attention and interest bestowed 

 upon it by the forester. Delicate seedlings need constant 

 supervision in order to protect them from weeds, insects, grubs, 

 etc., and this is especially the case when they are raised from 

 seed on the spot. The best way to ensure success is by 

 putting an intelligent man in charge, and inducing him to 

 take an interest in the work. Such a man should be able to 

 supervise the bedding out, hoeing, lifting, etc., and to make 

 cuttings, prune trees, collect and clean seed, and so on, and 

 there is always something of this kind to do in a nursery of 

 two or three acres. 



Apart from the details of the work, the most important 

 points to be considered are the rotations adopted on the 

 various breaks or beds, and the manures applied to them. 

 Conifers should follow hardwoods, ground recently manured 

 should be stocked with more exacting species, such as ash or 

 oak, and beds infested with cockchafer grubs should be 

 cleared, and a liberal dose of pig manure applied before 

 cropping with potatoes, roots, vetches, etc. The manures 



