NURSERY AND PLANTING TOOLS 



By WM. H. MAST 

 Gunnison National Forest 



stupendous problem of re- 

 foresting the immense areas of 

 barren potential forest land with- 

 in and outside our State and National 

 Forests is causing many a student of 

 forestry to knit his brow in deep study 

 with the hope of discovering some suc- 

 cessful method of rapidly clothing these 

 vast unproductive areas with green 

 thrifty trees. 



We have two courses of action out- 

 lined for us. One is reforestation by 

 direct seeding and the other by plant- 

 ing. Experiments so far indicate that 

 success by the former will be restricted 

 to the most favorable sites and be se- 

 cured on these only when seasonal con- 

 ditions are favorable. There are, how- 

 ever, many large areas where planting 

 will be the only manner by which a 

 forest cover can be secured. But plant- 

 ing by the best methods we now know 

 is costly and rather slow, therefore any 

 device tending to cheapen production 

 of nursery stock, facilitate transporta- 

 tion, and make possible extensive and 

 successful planting work will be re- 

 garded with favor. The following de- 

 scription of some devices which have 

 been used advantageously may assist 

 those who are trying for more efficient 

 methods along these lines. 



DRILL BOARD 



By broadcast sowing the distribution 

 of seed is such that the best utilization 

 of plant food and soil moisture is se- 

 cured for the seedlings, but drill sow- 

 ing is especially advantageous because 

 of the lessened injury to the root sys- 

 tems of the seedlings in digging, and 

 because of the time-saving effected in 

 taking up the seedlings. Machine seed 

 drills are not generally satisfactory for 

 use in coniferous nurseries. 



For hand work a heavy board with 

 cleats 1-2 to 3-4 inches wide and prop- 



erly spaced is used. One for making 

 12 drills 3 inches apart is the best I 

 have seen. 



TROUGH 



For distributing seed in drills the 

 writer has, since 1904, used a small 

 trough. It is made of 2 six-inch boards 

 beveled on one edge and hinged to- 

 gether as shown. Made in this way it 

 balances when set in the drill. The 

 sower, can cast the seeds against one of 

 the broad sides and as they roll to the 

 bottom of the trough they distribute 

 themselves very evenly. If narrow 

 boards are used it is necessary to carry 

 the hand directly over the trough as 

 the seeds are dropped. This makes 

 slower work and it is much more diffi- 

 cult to get an even distribution. When 

 seedbeds are 4 feet wide or wider two 

 men usually work on opposite sides of 

 the bed, each scattering seed from his 

 end to the middle of the trough. 



For securing an equal amount of 

 seed in each drill it is best to use a 

 small measure. A paper shotgun shell 

 which may be cut down until it holds 

 just the desired number of seeds, is 

 very convenient. Seed sown in drills 

 in this manner is best covered by sift- 

 ing soil over it, using an ordinary sand 

 sieve of Y\ inch mesh. 



For maintaining even moisture and 

 heat conditions during germination leaf 

 mold or straw is commonly used. 

 Where these are not obtainable burlap 

 may be spread on the beds and sprinkled 

 frequently. 



SHADING 



Both high and low shade frames are 

 in use, some nurserymen preferring the 

 low while others prefer the high frame. 

 A simple low shade frame devised by 

 the writer for use at the Halsey Nur- 



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