PROPAGATION BY MEANS OF SEEDS AND SPORES 55 



Conifer seed- 

 lings. 



"The seeding-trough is a device for holding the 



seeds. It is 8 inches deep, rounded slightly on 



the bottom and up one side, from 10 to 14 inches 



wide, and 5 feet long. It is mounted on legs, 



raising it from 16 to 24 inches above the ground. 

 The trough is set to straddle a 

 seed-bed in which drills have 

 been made, as indicated in the 

 illustration (Fig. 34)." 



The beds are provided 

 with protection against winds, 

 rodents, birds, sun and winter 

 cold, by means of windbreaks 

 and divers coverings and 

 screens. Some of these are 

 shown in Figs. 35-38. The 

 seedlings are given careful 

 attention in shading, water- 

 ing, weeding, tilling, winter FlG - 39< 

 mulching and otherwise. 

 Young seedlings are shown in Fig. 

 39. A very long and undesirable tap- 

 root system is illustrated in Fig. 40. 

 This development is sometimes cor- 

 rected by root-pruning in the nursery 

 bed by means of a knife thrust under 

 the plants. Fig. 41 shows a specially 

 good development of a season's growth 

 as a result of fall seeding, whereby the 

 FIG. 40. Seed- p } an t ge ts an early start in spring. 



ling of western g k j fc one . half inch to two 



yellow pme. fe . J . . . 



inches can be produced in one year by 



fall than by spring sowing. The increased growth may 

 mean the shortening by a year of the length of time 

 necessary for growing stock to a size suitable for field 

 planting. 



Forest nurseries operate with such numbers of 



plants, which must be cheaply produced, and the Fio.4i. Doug- 

 las fir seedling, 



species involved in the processes are relatively so from fall _ 

 few, that highly standardized methods soon arise, seed. 



sown 



