25 



be sown in seed-spots, but the surer way is to sow them in 

 a seed-bed and transfer them to the permanent site as seed- 

 lings of one or two year's growth. A seed-bed may be made 

 in any light, mellow soil, such as a vegetable garden. The 

 soil should be thoroughly worked, as for vegetables. The 

 seeds should be sown in drills, some 2 or 3 feet apart, and 

 lacking the thickness of a seed of touching in the drill. They 

 should be covered to twice their depth. 



126. As in sowing seed-spots, the trouble of keeping 

 the seed over winter is avoided, if the sowing is done in the 

 fall; and the germination is usually better for seeds sown in 

 the fall than in the spring. 



127. The seed-bed should be kept mellow and free from 

 weeds. Light working with a plow or hoe, followed by pul- 

 verizing with a rake is the best cultivation. Baking and 

 drying should be prevented, and lath screens are often used 

 for this purpose; but they are an additional expense and they 

 interfere with working the beds. The experience of the 

 writer has led him to abandon the screens and rely wholly 

 on pulverizing with a rake, or the "dust mulch" as it is 

 called, to keep the moisture near the surface. 



1?S. In seasons of drouth it mav be advisable to irri- 

 gate. If this is done, the ground should be thoroughly wet; 

 and it should be worked when dry enough, as after a rain. 

 A thorough wetting followed by a working will do 

 good; but frequent sprinklings may do more harm than good. 



129. The length of time that the seedlings remain in 

 the seed-bed depends on their rate of growth. Some of them 

 like the tulip-tree, are large enough to move in one year; 

 but others, like the shortleaf pine, require two years to 

 reach a convenient size. 



