sery should be established and an open frame covered with lath 

 screening constructed for shelter. A well-drained, sunny exposure, 

 as free as possible from danger of frost, should be selected for a nur- 

 sery site. The character of the soil need not be considered, since 

 soils should be prepared artificially for the propagation of seedlings. 



Seedlings are sometimes raised in nursery beds and later trans- 

 planted into seed boxes. The best results, however, are obtained 

 by using seed boxes exclusively. The raising of seedlings in pots is 

 expensive and is not advisable when stock is to be grown in large 

 quantities. The use of seed boxes allows suitable preparation* of the 

 soil, better control of the seedling root systems, and great conven- 

 ience in handling and transporting the plants. The boxes should 

 be rectangular, 24 by 30 inches in size, with a depth of 4 inches, and 

 should be made of durable material. 



The best results are secured from soils artificially prepared so that 

 the composition and porosity of the mixture may exactly meet the 

 needs of the seedlings. Fine sand should be mixed with a heavier 

 soil and a small quantity of partly decayed leaf mold. For propa- 

 gating boxes the soil should be porous and sandy, in order to insure 

 rapid drainage; for transplant boxes it should be heavier, so that 

 a portion may be taken up about the roots of the seedlings when they 

 are being set out in a plantation. 



Stock from 6 to 12 inches tall is of the best size for commercial 

 planting, because it is less expensive to plant, endures transplanting 

 better, and grows more thriftily than larger stock. Eucalyptus 

 seedlings reach this size in from three to six months after the seed 

 is sown. Blue gum stock requires only three or four months to reach 

 the height of 12 inches. The best planting season comes, in most 

 parts of California, in the later winter months, and blue gum seeds 

 should be sown in September, in order that the seedlings may reach 

 the proper size at the proper time. 



Seed should be sown broadcast, evenly but not too thickly, over 

 the moistened surface of the soil in the seed boxes. One pound of 

 blue gum seed should produce 10,000 or 12,000 seedlings. A density 

 of not more than 1,000 plants to a seed box gives the best results. 

 After sowing the seed should be covered a little deeper than its thick- 

 ness with fine sand. The surface of the boxes should then be covered 

 with fine sawdust to retain the moisture and prevent washing out 

 the seed when the boxes are being watered. The soil should be kept 

 thoroughly moist until germination begins. During warm weather 

 this will be in from four to ten days. 



After the seed has germinated, the regulation of the water supply 

 requires constant and careful attention. Care in satisfying but not 



[Cir. 59] 



