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LIFE IN A TREE NURSERY A tree nursery requires almost as much loving care as a nursery containing a human baby or so; and it is important for all us young forest patriots to know about this, since by far the most widely used method of reforesting is the transplanting of seedlings from tree nurseries. Hardy and strong as it afterward becomes, a tree in its infancy, and even in early childhood, is a delicate thing. A tree nursery, to be a success, must have good soil and plenty of water, but not too much; that is, it must have proper drainage. The soil should be a mellow loam. If the soil has any stones in it they should be gotten rid of. It should also be kept free from weeds and the insect enemies of tree seedlings. The way you get rid of weeds, of course, is to hoe or plough them up after the seedlings are well above ground, but you can prevent a great many of the weeds from coming up in first place by putting in some other crop and cultivating the ground the year before you start your nursery. In this way weed seeds, that are always hidden away under the roots of the grass and other weeds in uncultivated land only waiting their chance to grow, will be put out of the way. If your land was in sod the year previous it will probably have in it the larvae of the May beetle or June bug. These larvae are fond of the tender roots of tree seedlings. Any attempt to raise the seedlings, unless these ugly customers have been disposed of, means the death of many little future monarchs of the forest, and the disappointment of a young nurseryman. As in a garden and in general agriculture, the great principle of rotation of crops comes into this business of tree-farming. Your seedling and transplant beds should be used from time to time for other crops. GETTING THE BEDS READY FOR THE BABIES The beds are prepared in the spring, just as soon as the frost is out of the ground. They are laid out east and west. Do you see why? So that they will receive the largest amount of sunlight. When I say "beds" I mean beds, just as you have them for things in your garden. These beds are to give the little trees proper drainage. In the cultivation of the beds, experienced nurserymen are careful to see that there are no pockets on the surface for the water to collect in, and they even slope the surface slightly, like the roof of an automobile, for the same reason. The seeds are moistened thoroughly before sowing; and, listen to this, "lightly covered with loam which should first be passed through a fine sieve." (Moon and Brown's Elements of Forestry.) Why, it's like putting a sleeping human baby to bed, and gently spreading his soft coverlet over him! Then you must carefully "tuck the covers in," as it were, by firming the surface with a hoe or a plank. ABOUT GETTING THEM UP IN THE MORNING Our tree babies must not be awakened too soon by our friends of the bird world, but, on the other hand, you mustn't let them lie under the covers too long. (I forgot to mention that, after you've done everything else for them at bedtime, you spread burlap or leaves over the surface to keep the ground moist until germination is completed.) You must keep posted on the time for each kind of baby to get up, according to its family's customs, and take its covers off, or it will smother. In the case of the Christmas-Tree babies, the Evergreens, for example, getting-up time is from fourteen to sixteen days after they have been put to bed. When they have fairly entered young treehood, to make them feel at home--that is to say, as if they were growing up in the shade and sunlight of what the foresters so aptly and picturesquely call "mother-trees"--what do you suppose they do? They put up screens of lath. This gives the nurslings their needed sun-bath every day and yet tempers it to their tender sensibilities! Screens of another kind are also used for another purpose you might not think of until after a disappointing experience. No matter how careful you are about keeping the chickens out, you will often find the seeds scratched up and eaten by certain other foresters that, at other times, do an immense amount of service to grown-up trees; namely, the birds. Hence the screens. You mustn't forget to remove your shade screens late in the fall so that the young trees can harden a little before winter sets in--learn something of the stern realities of life, as it were. And I suppose I ought to warn you against being too enthusiastic in the matter of weeding. (Boys, particularly, are so apt to do that, you know!) Weeding should be discontinued about September I. The weeds and grasses that grow after that time protect the roots of the seedlings during the winter. But, by the second year, your work will be comparatively light. A little weeding now and then, that's about all. The tops of the trees in your miniature forest will be then have formed a shady canopy which will keep the ground moist and keep out the weeds by shutting off their sunlight. At the beginning of the third season the trees are transferred to another bed, set farther apart, and left there for a couple of years so that their roots can develop, before they are finally set out. THE FINAL PLANTING OF THE TREE In this final planting the holes should be large enough for the roots, fully spread, and deep enough to allow the trees to stand about three inches lower than they grew in the nursery. They should be carried to the planting site on a cool, cloudy day, in a bucket half filled with water, and lifted out only as wanted. Extend the roots in their natural positions and work your finely pulverized loam about each, separately, and pack it with the foot. As the hole is filled, compact the earth to hold the tree firmly in place. The last two inches of soil should be very fine and lie perfectly loose, thus serving as a mulch to retain the moisture. Plant in neither very wet nor very dry soil. If it is too wet, wait a few days. When the ground has been well cultivated the year previous, it is not likely to be too dry. If necessary the holes may be dug a few days beforehand and filled with water. Refill, as the water soaks away, until the soil is fully moistened. Then, when it becomes somewhat dry, plant your trees. While it is a common custom to water at the time of planting, those who do no watering are usually the most successful. Even in the semi-arid regions many successful growers apply no water, but by surface cultivation retain the soil moisture. So, at last, our nurslings get to where they are needed, in the open spaces in the wood-lot or the forest; or they get life positions in supplying shade and beauty to homes and school grounds and parks and city streets. Thus, they more than make return for all the fond attention and watchful care incident to their childhood days. |
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