CHARCOAL AS A MEANS OF SOLVING SOME 

 NURSERY PROBLEMS 



By George A. Retan 



In an article, "Effective Fertilizers in Nurseries," (Forestry 

 Quarterly, Vol. XII, No. 1), mention was made of an experi- 

 ment in the use of charcoal in the Mont Alto Nursery at the 

 Pennsylvania State Forest Academy. This work was started by 

 Forester T. O. Bietsch in 1913. At that time the charcoal used 

 was obtained from old pits in the mountains. This charcoal was 

 thought to have a comparatively large percentage of wood ash 

 as one of its constitutents, and this uncertain composition made 

 it doubtful as to whether the action of the charcoal in the bed 

 was purely physical, or partly chemical. The beds where this 

 charcoal was used were so much better than the other beds in 

 the nursery that it seemed worth while to determine just what 

 the effect of pure charcoal might be, and to compare the beds 

 so treated with untreated beds, and with beds treated with pit 

 charcoal. 



The soil in the nursery at Mont Alto is a heavy clay, quite 

 unfavorable to the raising of coniferous seedlings. The nursery 

 has never produced as many seedlings as its capacity, judged 

 from area alone, would call for. In very favorable years there 

 has been a good production, and in other years there has 

 been comparative failure. The problem confronting the man in 

 charge of the nursery has been that of conquering this unfavor- 

 able soil condition. Many different methods had been tried 

 without success, and the marked benefit of the charcoal at once 

 aroused hopes that a successful method had been found. Pit 

 charcoal was hard to obtain, and rather expensive ; but if pure 

 charcoal would answer the same purpose, it could be obtained 

 at very little cost from the remains of the old charcoal pile used 

 by the furnace in the days of the Mont xA.lto Iron Company. 



During the past season there have been carried on a series 

 of experiments for the purpose of answering these questions in 

 connection with the use of charcoal. About 130 beds were treated 

 with pure charcoal from the furnace pile. The beds, which were 



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