72 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 
since to disturb the ground further might cause freez- 
ing of the roots. With the first fall of snow a strip of 
burlap or a layer of leaves is placed upon the seed bed 
and thus they remain safe and snug during the cold 
weather. 
The second season is similar to the first except that 
less care is needed. The plants are quite dense now— 
there may be from two to four hundred per square 
foot—and their tops form a dense mat. A little weed- 
ing and watering is all that is necessary to carry them 
through this summer and by the second autumn they 
are so hardy that no covering is required. 
Field Planting.—The next spring when the plants are 
two years old they are ready to be planted or if extra 
hardy trees are wanted they must be put out in a trans- 
plant bed. Since large roots rather than large tops are 
needed, a year or two in the transplant beds is very ben- 
eficial. In these beds the little trees are placed in rows 
from twelve to fifteen inches apart and are spaced from 
two to three inches apart in the rows. On account of the 
increased growing space allotted to each plant in the 
transplant bed a good root system is developed. The 
trees remain in this bed from one to two years, depend- 
ing upon the size of the material needed. 
For planting in open fields where neither the sod nor 
weeds are too thick a two-year coniferous seedling will 
grow, but if the weeds are rank growing or if the ground 
is heavily shaded by brush or trees the three- or four- 
year-old transplant must be used for a . successful 
plantation. 
The choice of planting stock depends upon the cli- 
mate, for species native to the region should be pre- 
ferred; upon the market needs, for species should be 
