SEP 2 1 1914 



Division of Forestry 

 University of California 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



FOREST SERVICE. 

 GIFFORD PINCHOT, Forester. 



INSTRUCTIONS TO FOREST OFFICERS IN RESERVE PLANTING. 



The instructions contained in this circular are primarily for the use 

 of forest officers in charge of rangers' nurseries. Their application 

 should be limited to occasions when technical men are not present to 

 give advice based on actual conditions. Since no hard and fast rules 

 can be made for planting work of this kind, it will be necessary in all 

 cases where the rules here given are employed for the officer in charge 

 to use his own judgment in applying them. 



NURSERY SITE. 



(1) To insure daily attention and to avoid loss of time the ranger's 

 nursery site should be located as near as possible to the headquarters 

 buildings. 



(2) Comparatively level ground should be chosen as a precaution 

 against surface washing. A deep, moderately fertile, well-drained 

 soil is best. 



(3) If available, at least one-half acre should be set aside for the 

 nursery. Of this, much the larger part will be required for transplant 

 beds after the first or second year. 



WATER SUPPLY. 



(1) At high altitudes, and in other situations where the soil' is nat- 

 urally moist, the nursery will need but a small amount of water; in 

 more arid situations, however, it will require frequent watering. 



(2) The nursery should be located as near as possible to the water 

 supply. If the water is secured from a stream or spring some distance 

 away, it may be conducted to the nursery in an open ditch, board 

 trough, or pipe. A pipe with hose connections is best, though the 

 small seed beds can easily be watered with a sprinkling pot. 



SEED BEDS. 



(1) If a low system of shading is to be used the most convenient 

 size for seed beds is 4 feet by 12 feet. If the lath-house system is 

 employed the beds might well be larger. The width, however, should 



