36 METHODS OF PLANTING. 



8trii)s, and generally in addition to the hurdles, -wind-screens aronnd the beds, while 

 some nurserymen build arbors over their seed-beds, and such seed is geaerally put in 

 broadcast, covering by sifting on sandy earth. But for any of our native tree-seeds, 

 shading will hardly be necessary. » » * 



Drills across the beds one foot apart may be planted, or drills twenty to twenty-eight 

 inches apart may be made of any length, and on the general level, and the seeds planted 

 at the rate of twenty to forty to the foot. Culture while plants are young should bo 

 by hand, running a hand wheel-hoe, and hand-weeding in the drill, if necessary ; but 

 when the trees have attained some growth, a steady horse may be used, and' if the 

 nursery is made of long rows, of course horee labor is better employed than if it is in 

 short rows. Most of the native trees will be fit at one year old to remove to permanent 

 plantation, and if to be so used, should be dug in the fall, and stored by burying, or 

 in cellar, ready for early planting the next spring. » 



The writer mentions two systems of planting — the furrow and spade, 

 giving preference to the latter, in any but a very damp spring. For 

 this a heading spade (a sort with a long blade ending in an obtuse angle) 

 is used to best advantage. The spade is pushed half-way down ; the 

 handle borne a foot back, and then it is pushed down the whole length, 

 when it is again brought upright. This makes a whole proper for re- 

 ceiving the roots of the tree, and when set the earth is pressed down. 



As for distance apart, 4 by 4 feet is generally preferable, which re- 

 quires 2,722 trees per acre. Spaces 3 by 3 are as near as can be cul- 

 tivated bj horse-power, giving 4,840 trees per acre. The writer prefers 

 3h by 3J, and has found that yellow cottonwood at this will cover the 

 ground "the first year. 



In planting trees, the earth should not be wet, so as to make a mortar; 

 neither should they be set while there is standing water in the hole. In 

 such cases the soil in contact with the roots tends to become hard iu 

 drying, to the great injury of the growth. The clay that may adhere 

 and dry on, where the roots have been puddled in transplanting, should 

 be rinsed off before the trees are set. The necessity of pressing the 

 earth firmly around the roots appears to be greater in the fine prairie 

 soil of the West than where it is of a coarser texture. At least, it ap- 

 pears to be the concurrent testimony of planters on the prairies that 

 the soil should be strongly compressed, leaving, however, the surface 

 loose, so as to readily absorb the rains. A clay soil would be apt to 

 bake if pressed. This tendency to bake is greater when planting is done 

 in a wet time. 



SHELTER TO YOUNG SHOOTS IN NURSERIES. 



When the young tree begins life in its native conditions it is sheltered 

 by the parent boughs. When we seek to produce the same kinds, in 

 nurseries, it is in reason that we should not expose them to the direct 

 rays of a hot sun. The careful forester will protect the tender shoots by 

 branches of trees, lightly spread over the ground, and for this the de- 

 ciduous kinds are better than evergreens, because the latter afford less 

 shade, and sooner shed their leaves. 



When this shelter is removed, it should be done little by little, to 

 accustom the plants gradually to the open air. 



NUMBER OF TREES TO THE ACRE. 



Systematic treatises upon planting, give tables showing the num- 

 ber of trees of different species that should be allowed to remain on the 

 ground at different ages of growth. But so many circumstances of soil, 

 aspect, and climate affect these, that the experience of one locality can 

 scarcely be allowed to establish rules for another. In fact, this must be 

 left to the skill and intelligence of the planter, who should carefully 

 observe the wants of the case and afford the relief from overcrowding 

 that the case demands. 



