NURSERY WORK. 5*7 



The 2| Ib. of Douglas Fir cost 30s., and past experience shows that the 

 22,500 1-year seedlings will give fully 15,000 (and probably 18,000) plants 

 fit for planting out, at the following actual cost : 



s. d. 

 1st year: preparing, sowing, and 3 hand -weed ings for 22,500 



plants . . . . . . .28 



2nd year: transplanting, 15s. ; and 4 weedings, 6s. 8d. . 21 8 



3rd year : 3 weedings . . . . . 50 



Total cost for 22,500, less 30 per cent for casualties 



= 15,000 l-year-2 transplants . . . " 29 4 



or say . 30 



Add cost of seed . . . . . . 30 



Total cost of the 15, 000 plants .... 60 



This, excluding rent, &c., of ground and general share of supervision, 

 is equal to 4s. per 1000, although the cost of seed was high. 



On the Continent two or more short cross-drills are usually made at once 

 with a drttlmaker, consisting of a thick board as long as the bed is broad 

 (3| or 4 ft.), with projecting battens (of the size and depth the drill is 

 to be) screwed on to it at one- 

 fourth the width of the board Fl - 3- 



from each side. Say the breadth ^ /" .> 



of the beds is 4 ft., and the drills 

 are to be 7 in. apart, the board 

 would be 14 in. broad (fig. 3), and ........>* >< -vi 



the projecting pieces of wood 



r n . . ,, Cross-section of a drill-board to make 

 (say \ in. deep and f in. broad) drills 



would be fixed at 3| in. from 

 each edge, leaving a space of 7 in. between. Each time the board is 

 moved forward on the bed, the 3^ in. left at one side where the board 

 has already been pressed down, and the 3^ in. on the other side when it 

 is placed in the next position, make up the 7 in. from drill to drill. As 

 the drill formed has the shape "L^xJ*? ^he see ^ poured in falls to right 

 and left, and thus gets better distributed. Or three or four drill-battens 

 can be ranged in parallel lines at the desired distance, and held in position 

 by being screwed firmly on to three to five crossbars on the top. This 

 makes the frame lighter and easier to handle than if the whole top-piece 

 were -a f or 1 in. board. Various mechanical contrivances .are used to 

 ensure a more equal distribution of seed in the drills than by hand-sowing. 



