DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1933 



131 



recent fall. This chestnut is blight resisting, is hardy along the north shore of 

 Lake Erie. The fruit is quite edible, comparing favorably with our native Sweet 

 Chestnut. Moreover this species begins to fructify early, and abundantly. It 

 is doubtful, however, if the tree will be of much value for lumber purposes, yet 

 if the species takes the place of Castanea dentata as a nut producer, it is well 

 worth propagating. 



Publicity 



An exhibit was set up at the county fair at Simcoe. 

 attended. 



No other fairs were 



With the exception of providing guides for interested visitors, very little 

 attention was given publicity. The main occupation throughout the nursery 

 year consisted of keeping down weeds and irrigating in an effort to offset the 

 devastations of a protracted drought. 



Orono 



During the growing season of 1933 the severe drouth and extreme heat 

 which have prevailed during the past three seasons were even more marked 

 than formerly. The combination of these adverse factors resulted in very 

 severe losses in seedlings and transplants. These losses were exceptionally 

 severe in the newly germinated red pine seedlings, which were burned up in 

 spite of the protection offered by lath screens and in the three year old white 

 and Norway spruce transplants. These latter, which we were unable to handle 

 during the preceding transplant season, were so tall and spindly owing to 

 crowded seed bed conditions that they offered little resistance to the blazing 

 heat. 



(1) Nursery Operations 



(a) Fertilizers. 



As in former years, green manure crops of sweet clover on the transplant 

 areas and of field peas on the seed bed blocks were ploughed under. Such 

 manure as we had on hand at the beginning of the year, was used as a top 

 dressing. No manure was purchased after February. Commercial fertilizers 

 were applied sparingly to the seed beds at the time of sowing. 



Quantities of Fertilizers used were as follows: 



(b) Seed: 



All seed used during the year was obtained from the seed extracting plant 

 at Angus. 



