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The most successful method of raising seedUngs is by sowing 

 the seed in nursery beds. Seed beds should be composed of fine, 

 loose, fairly fertile soil, moderately moist but always well drained. 

 The soil must not be too rich ; otherwise the seedlings will suffer 

 when transplanted to the less favorable conditions of the perma- 

 nent site. A convenient size for seed beds is 4 by 12 feet, with 

 a path about 18 inches wide between the beds, so that the plants 

 can be weeded and cared for with ease. The seed should be 

 sown in drills 4 to 6 inches apart, or broadcast over the beds, 

 -and lightly covered with fine earth. Sowing should not begin 

 until the ground is warm- enough to cause rapid germination. 

 Seed may be safely sown at the time garden vegetables are 

 planted. After a seed bed is sown the surface should be 

 "firmed" with a board or light roller. 



The plants will begin to appear in from 3 to 5 weeks. Like 



other conifers, they will require partial shading during the first 



season, but subsequently can endure full sunlight, especially in 



New England. A shade frame of lath supported 18 inches 



•above the bed will serve the purpose. 



One pound of white pine seed is sufficient to sow 500 linear 

 feet of seed drill, or about 200 square feet of surface, with drills 

 6 inches apart. Even with proper care some seeds may fail to 

 germinate promptly, but about 10,000 plants may be expected 

 from every pound of fertile seed sown. White pine seed retains 

 its vitality for several years, and when kept in cold, dry stor- 

 age a fair percentage has been known to germinate after five 

 .years. Fresh seed, however, is always to be preferred. 



Two years after sowing, the seedlings should be transplanted 

 in the spring from the seed bed to nursery rows, in order to 

 develop a good, fibrous root system. They may be set out 3 

 inches apart, in rows from 12 to 18 inches apart. The roots 

 should be set slightly deeper than they were before. The best 

 method of transplanting is to open a shallow trench of the proper 

 depth with a spade, and set the plants by hand, carefully cov- 

 ering the roots of each plant with fine soil and gently firming it. 

 Transplants, if thoroughly cultivated and weeded, will be ready 

 for final planting at the beginning of the fourth season. At this 

 age they should be frorh 6 to 9 inches high and have a well-de- 

 vveloped system of fibrous roots. 



In the early stage of the white pine a very injurious fungus 



