DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1936 



93 



Appendix' No. 21 



II.— REFORESTATION 



1. NURSERIES 



The supply and quality of seed is fundamental in any reforestation pro- 

 gramme. Up to the present the Ontario Forests Branch has been fortunate 

 in this respect and has been able to procure from its own seed collecting organi- 

 zation a sufficient supply of all necessary tree species. 



Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) is by far the most important, both as regards 

 quantity used and irregularity of seed years. The last good seed year for 

 this species was in 1932 when a large supply of cones was collected, the seed 

 from which is still being used in our work. All seed drops in germination as it 

 becomes old, some species faster than others, and the recognized method of 

 storing seed in order to reduce this drop to a minimum is by controlled cold 

 storage. The Forests Branch is badly in need of such a storage plant in order 

 that the germination of thousands of pounds of seed, which it is necessary to 

 keep from year to year, be reduced to a minimum. 



Seed Beds 

 Seed bed work at the nurseries this year has been kept up to the average 

 of the last two or three years and as most of the seed is now sown in the fall, 

 the table covering this class of work groups all the beds under one heading. 

 The seed sown in the spring, namely, Soft Maple and Elm, is only a small 

 fraction of the total. 



TABLE I— SEED BEDS 



Improvements 

 (a) Buildings 

 Very little building was done at the nurseries during the year, the addi- 

 tions being two small pheasant houses at Midhurst and a root house at Orono. 

 General maintenance and necessary repairs, such as painting, etc., was carried 

 on. 



(b) Roads and Bridges 



At Midhurst two miles of new roads were built and some additional 

 work was done in the Park. At the other two nurseries road work consisted 

 of maintenance and upkeep. 



(c) Other Improvements 



At all three nurseries general maintenance such as repairing fences, trim- 

 ming hedges, etc., was carried out and in addition some special surveys of 

 plantations and property was made at St. Williams. 600 additional feet of 

 irrigation system was installed at Orono. 



