

 6 MASSACHUSETTS TREE PLANTER 



These species are : 



White pine Pinus slrobus 



Chestnut Castanea dentata. 



Red oak Quercus rubra. 



White ash Fraxinus americana. 



Sugar maple ...... Acer saccharum. 



It should be stated that the greater part of what is said 

 about white pine will also hold true of other conifers. In 

 like manner, chestnut and red oak will serve as examples of 

 the nut-bearing hardwoods ; while the treatment advised for 

 sugar maple and white ash is very similar to that required 

 by most other species of hardwoods. If, however, informa- 

 tion is desired concerning the treatment of any species not 

 specifically mentioned, it can be obtained on application to 

 the state forester. Bulletins No. 29 and No. 45, entitled 

 " The Forest Nursery " and " The Planting of White Pine in 

 New England ", issued by the U. S. Forest Service also give 

 valuable information in regard to many points not treated 

 here in detail. 



PREPARATION AND CARE OF A FOREST NURSERY 

 The first step toward the establishment of a successful 

 forest nursery is the selection of a suitable location on a 

 level or gently sloping piece of land. Northern and eastern 

 exposures furnish more favorable situations than southern 

 and western aspects, and the soil, which may be loamy or 

 even slightly sandy, should be well drained but yet contain 

 a fair supply of moisture. If the nursery can be located 

 within or near a forest, or in the shelter of a windbreak, 

 it will be advantageous to choose such a situation. 



The preparation of the soil should be the same as for an 

 ordinary garden. While forest tree seedlings will often 

 grow on poorly prepared land, yet any extra time and labor 

 spent in carefully working over and pulverizing the soil will 

 be amply repaid by the increased thrift of the seedlings. 



When the soil is thoroughly prepared, the nursery should 

 be laid out in beds and paths. The usual width for nursery 

 beds is four feet, for beds wider than this are hard to weed. 



