Sonie Aspects of European Forestry. 485 



not too large a crown and root development are chosen. Sel- 

 dom are plants older than two or three years taken; for after 

 that age the roots have attained too great a depth for successful 

 removal. 



For the vast majority of planting operations, nursery stock is 

 used. Every Austrian Forest has one or more nurseries. These 

 are often very unpretentious in appearance but usually very 

 efficacious in results. 



Nurseries are both permanent and temporary. The former 

 have the advantages of concentration and are preferred for com- 

 mercial purposes (or as supply nurseries). But the permanent 

 nursery entails high costs — manuring is necessary to preserve 

 soil fertility, the plant material has to be transported further 

 after it has been grown, but, worst of all, the growth conditions 

 at the permanent nursery are seldom such as to fit the plant for 

 the rigors of the planting site. 



These considerations argue strongly for the temporary nurser- 

 ies near the planting site and explain why small, "wandering" 

 nurseries are so general in Austria. 



Similar considerations apply in the choice of sites for nur- 

 series. Rather than select the richest soil and most favorable 

 site, the best Austrian practice realizes that stock grown under 

 such conditions often fails on the poorer planting sites. As 

 Oberforstrat Reuss puts it: "The growing of nursery stock is 

 not an end in itself but merely the means to an end." He illus- 

 trates this with the instance of a Bohemian Forest where spruce 

 plantations failed repeatedly due solely to the fact that the ma- 

 terial used w'as too good for the planting site — i. e. the favorable 

 growth conditions at the nursery unfitted the plants for the 

 rigors of the planting site. As soon as the stock was grown un- 

 der conditions similar to those at the planting site, it succeeded 

 perfectly ! 



As regards slope and exposure, the best practice in Austria 

 chooses for the nursery a very gentle slope rather than a dead 

 level, because of better drainage. South and East exposures 

 are avoided because of the drying effect of wind and sun ; north 

 and northwest are favored. But where all other factors than 

 exposure are satisfactory this point is often waived ; for it is 

 of minor importance compared to a suitable site. In determining 

 the suitability of a certain site due weight is given to having the 



