CHAPTER VII. 
NURSERY PRACTICE. 
Nursery. This term is applied to a plot of land used for 
raising plants that are intended for planting elsewhere for their 
final growth. 
Soil and Cultivation. The best soil for a general nursery 
is a deep, rich, reasonably level, retentive upland. It is cus- 
tomary to grow most of the nursery crops in rows, so that they 
may be readily cultivated. The land should be plowed deeply 
when the crop is planted, and the surface soil kept loose and 
fine during all the early part of the growing season, or until 
about the middle of July. If the land that has to be used for 
a nursery is rather shallow, it should be gradually deepened by 
plowing from year to year, and, if inclined to dry out, the addi- 
tion of large quantities of organic matter, together with constant 
cultivation, will do much to remedy these defects. 
The cultivation of a nursery or young forest plantation, pro- 
vided the latter is planted in rows, should consist in keeping 
the land stirred to the depth of three inches, thus giving a dust 
blanket, which will protect from drouth. After the first of 
August much cultivation is likely to encourage a late autumn 
growth, which should be avoided; but a moderate quantity of 
buckwheat or oats may be sown then, and be allowed to grow 
the remainder of the season, to serve as a winter protection—to 
hold snows, and prevent the heaving out of the young seedlings 
. by frost. 
GRADES OF NURSERY STOCK. 
Nursery stock of different kinds has come to be known by 
such convenient names as seedlings, transplants, street trees, for- 
est-pulled seedlings, etc. 
