21 



OFFICE OF FOREST EXTENSION. 



A conference of the men in charge of the reserve planting stations was held from 

 February 15 to March 28. All the details of nursery practice and field planting were 

 taken up and ideas exchanged as to the methods adapted to the various lines of work. 

 Conclusions, as far as reached, will be put on record and all of the work of the vari- 

 ous stations systematized as far as possible. 



Field planting in the reserves of southern California has been finished for the sea- 

 son. A total of nearly 180,000 seedlings have been planted in the mountains under 

 very favorable conditions, since the rainfall has been unusually heavy. About 60,000 

 of these trees were set by the rangers and the possibilities of extending the planting 

 work through ranger planting are very great. 



Through the courtesy of the Bureau of Plant Industry a section of one of their 

 greenhouses has been secured in which to make germination tests of tree seeds. 

 The work was started February 18 and will be continued until practical soil tests have 

 been made of all the seed planted in commercial quantities in reserved nurseries. 

 The aim is to secure a basis for nursery planting, since without these tests practically 

 nothing is known of the germinative energy of the seeds used. While greenhouse 

 tests, even in soil, are bound to be higher than in open nurseries, the tests will 

 closely enough indicate how thickly the seed should be planted. 



The spring planting operations have begun in the Gila Reserve. Practically all of 

 the cooperative planting of cottonwood cuttings on the military reservation is com- 

 pleted and 2,000 western yellow pine have also been set out. An experimental 

 plantation of 10,000 trees is also being made on the Cameron Creek watershed within 

 the reserve. Since the rainy .season begins in July there is a plan to harden a few 

 thousand seedlings by reducing the water supply and set them in the field in late 

 summer. The Fort Bayard nursery will also furnish seedlings for experimental plant- 

 ing on several other reserves in the Southwest. 



OFFICE OF FOREST PRODUCTS. 



Central Office for Timber-Test Work. 



In the past the timber-test work of the Service has consisted largely in the indi- 

 vidual work of the different laboratories. In order to establish closer relations 

 among the laboratories and to more thoroughly coordinate the work a central 

 office is to be established at Washington. This office will have general charge of 

 the work. It will contain complete files of all timber- test data and carry on general 

 studies. Two engineers, with a sufficient number of assistants, will have charge of 

 the work. 



