70 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 
which causes the tiny seedlings to wither just above 
the ground and is extremely fatal. 
Hardwood forests are started by planting the seed in 
long drills and the next spring these year-old seedlings 
- are planted in the field. Nut-bearing varieties may be 
started directly in the field by punching a hole with a 
cane and inserting the nut where the tree is wanted, 
the chief difficulty in this case being that hungry 
squirrels may follow along the lines and eat up nearly 
all of the buried nuts. By far the largest amount of 
planting is done with evergreen species on account of 
the value of the timber and the ease with which the 
little trees can be raised and planted. Hence a descrip- 
tion of how pines and spruces are grown will be more 
interesting. 
Having selected the site with plenty of water avail- 
able, beds are made ordinarily four feet wide and from 
twelve tc one hundred feet long. A bed four by twelve 
feet was used almost entirely by the early nursery- 
men, so it will be used as the unit of measure for amount 
of fertilizer, seed, ete. 
The ground must first be well pulverized and a couple 
of barrels of well rotted leaves and the same amount 
of old manure to each bed is spaded in and thoroughly 
mixed with the soil. Plants are like boys, and if they 
are to make fast growth they must be well fed. 
The beds are then made, being slightly raised above 
the ground and with the center a little higher than the 
sides. This is to insure drainage, for the little trees 
cannot stand wet feet. In some commercial nurseries 
each bed is surrounded by a wire screen to keep out the 
birds and squirrels. 
After the bed is made it is sown with from six to 
ten ounces of seed, depending upon the species. Ordi- 
