TREE PLANTING XEEDED IN TEXAS. 17 



Beds of this size are easy to handle and the germination of small seeds 

 is better secured. If several beds are to be planted, paths two feet wide 

 between the beds and several inches below their general level will facili- 

 tate access to the nursery and give better drainage. The seed should 

 be planted in drills to a depth of two or three times their thickness. 

 Coniferous seeds are frequently sown broadcast in the beds and lightly 

 covered with soil. Hard coated seeds, like black locust, can be made 

 to germinate quicker by soaking them in warm water before planting. 

 After planting the seeds the beds should be watered and mulched to 

 prevent subsequent drying out. but as soon as the young trees make 

 their appearance above ground the mulch should be removed. Lath 

 frames supported on posts are considered absolutely essential, particu- 

 larly with conifers, in order to furnish partial shade after germination. 

 The sides are often enclosed with boards to prevent unnecessary drying 

 of the soil. In well ordered nurseries the beds are also screend to keep 

 rodents and birds from eating the seed before germination and the 

 young seedlings afterwards. During the first growing season it is 

 necessary to keep the beds well weeded and occasionally watered to pre- 

 vent the ground from becoming dry. 



In order to secure a more compact and fibrous root system, which 

 will better enable the trees to survive when they are planted in the final 

 site, all seedlings should .be transplanted to rows in the nursery for at 

 least one additional year. Seedlings of most hardwood or broad- 

 leaved species are transplanted at the end of the first growing season; 

 conifers should preferably remain in the seed beds two years. When 

 taking the seedlings from the beds care should be exercised to thor- 

 oughh 7 loosen the soil so as to prevent all possible damage to the roots. 

 Unusually long roots, together with part of the crown, should be cut 

 hack except with conifers, and these should never be pruned. Trans- 

 planting should be done on cloudy days, always bearing in mind that 

 the roots of the seedlings, must be kept moist during the operation. 

 The spacing in the transplant rows will depend somewhat on the area 

 available, but four-foot rows with the trees two feet apart in the rows 

 will permit of horse cultivation and allow sufficient space for growth 

 during the year. At the end of the second year the trees may be root 

 primed in the rows, again transplanted or set out in the permanent 

 plantation if they are of suitable size. 



PLANTING THE TREES. 



In Texas planting between late fall and the first of February give? 

 the young trees the best chance to become established. If the planting* 

 is done before or during a rainy period the young trees are far better 

 prepared to survive the dry spells which may follow in the early spring. 

 For this reason it is unquestionably true that the present date of Arbor 

 Day (February 22) is too late for the tree planter to secure the best 

 results. 



The roots of the young trees should be kept moist from the time they 

 leave the nursery, or are dug in the woods, until they are finally planted. 



