Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-04-10

inmate much quickly when planted II
they are allowed to soak for several
hours in warm water. Seeds of ash,
tulip, maple and eatalpa should ba
soaked for two or three hours in warm
water and should be planted at once
and not be allowed to dry out. Seeds
of coffee bean, locust and blackberry
are started in boiling hot water and
allowed to soak for three or four days.
The seeds that swell should be plant
ed at once and the rest given another
treatment in hot water.
Planting the Seed.
The seed should be planted in the
nursery as early in the spring as pos
sible. They are planted III rows far
enough apart to allow of easy cultiva-
zion. They are sown quite thick in
the rows, especially seeds of low vi
tality or seeds of trees that require
crowding to prevent their becoming
too large for easy handling. Acorns
and nuts should be sown two or three
inches apart in the rows, while ca
talpa, ash, maple, elm, blackberry,
Usage orange and locust are spaced
not more than three-fourths of IN inch
apart. There is a tendency to plant
tree seed too deeply. A covering Of
o~ne-fourth to one-half inch is suffi-
cient for light seed like birch and null
berry, three-fourths of an inch for
seed like maple and catalpa and one
and a half inches for such as oak and
hickory. The soil should be made
firm over the seeds, but not packed
hard.
The seedlings are cultivated during
the growing season the same as any
garden crop. During very dry sea
sons the nursery row should be wa
tered if suffering. They are protected
during the first winter either by hill
ing up the earth about them or by
mulching with straw or leaves. The
seedlings of broad-leaved trees will be
large enough for planting the spring
following the seeding, Coniferous
seedlings are left to grow for two
years and then transplanted in the
nursery again for another year.
The distance between the rows and
the distance the trees are planted
apart in the rows depends upon the
kind of tree and on the conditions of
soil and moisture. Fast-growing trees
are planted farther apart than slow
growing trees. On very favorable
sites where trees grow fast a wider
spacing can be used than IN poor soil.
In general the trees should not be
spaced farther apart than four to six
feet. The object in planting trees
close together is to get the ground
covered as quickly. as possible, SO that
the trees will protect each other from
the u and drying winds.
The best time for planting the seed
lings is as soon as the frost has left
the ground and when the spring rains
have begun. Damp, cloudy days are
best, for the roots will dry out less.
The seedlings should not be pulled up
from the nursery, but should be lifted
with a spade so as not to strip the
tender bark from the roots. They are
placed at once in buckets of water.
Planting the Trees.
The roots of the seedlings are kept
immersed in water at all times. They
are liable to die if exposed to the sun
for only a minute or two. The hole is
dug large enough and deep enough
that the roots will not be compressed,
but will lie in their natural position.
The seedlings should be set in the
ground a little deeper than they stood
in the nursery. The soil is pressed in
against the roots as well as down
ward, so that no air spaces are left.
The cultivation does not need to be
deep, but should be frequent, and the
dirt should not be heaped up about
the seedlings. Cultivation is not con.
tinued late into the fall, as 1t stimu-
lates the trees to late growth, making
them liable to damage by early frosts
Cultivation is continued for three OF
four years, or until the crowns begin
to touch. From that time until it be
comes necessary to thin out the trees
the young plantation will need no fur.
ther attention except protection from
grazing and fire.