1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



469 



on the dry plains and in the hot winds 

 of New Mexico. On the arid plains 

 of western Kansas and Nebraska it 

 has survived on abandoned timber 

 claims where nearly all other species 

 have withered and died. 



PROPAGATION. 



Reproduction of the Green Ash is 

 effected by seed and coppice growth. 

 Propagation by seed is the best and 

 only reliable method of artificial for- 

 est extension of the Green Ash. The 

 seed may be purchased from dealers 

 for 50 to 75 cents per pound, but 

 wherever possible it is advisable for 

 the local planter to gather his own 

 supply. The several species of ash 

 seeds are very similar in appearance, 

 and the germination per cent low at 

 best ; hence it is advisable to send 

 samples of purchased seed, or even 

 home-gathered stock, to the Seed 

 Laboratory of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, where all 

 seeds will be identified and tested 

 without charge. 



Green Ash matures its fruit in 

 early autumn. Collecting should be 

 "begun as soon as the seeds ripen. 

 Stripping the seeds from the trees by 

 nand is the most reliable method of 

 collecting, since they do not fall early 

 enough to sweep up from pavements 

 and roadways. Fall planting may be 

 practiced, but is in general inadvisable. 

 The seeds may be kept over winter 

 in a cool, dry place, or "stratified." 

 If stored dry, the seed should be 

 soaked in warm water for several 

 nours before planting in the spring. 

 If stratified, the winged seeds should 

 "be placed in boxes between alternating 

 layers of slightly damp sand, and the 

 boxes stored in a cool cellar. The 

 vitality of the seeds can not well be 

 preserved more than eight months. 



Broadcast sowing of ash seeds on 

 prepared or unprepared ground, or 

 even planting the seed in hills where 

 the trees are to stand, is generally an 

 uncertain and unsatisfactory process, 

 hence nursery culture is advised. The 

 nursery and seed beds should be pre- 



pared on rich, well-worked ground, 

 an old garden spot being an excellent 

 site if the soil is not too full of weed 

 seeds. Preliminary working of the 

 ground should be as for a garden 

 crop. Planting may begin in spring 

 as soon as danger of frost is over. 

 For convenience in weeding, it is 

 recommended that the seed be sown 

 in drills, 8 to 12 inches apart for hand 

 cultivation, and 2 to 3 feet apart if 

 a horse cultivator is to be used. The 

 normal germination per cent is rather 

 low, hence the seeds should be drop- 

 ped thickly enough to touch each 

 other in the row. They should be 

 covered about one-half inch deep and 

 the soil pressed down firmly by means 

 of a roller, or pressure with a board. 

 In the arid regions it is sometimes 

 best to cover such seed 2 or 3 inches 

 in depth until after germination is 

 well started, after which the dry sur- 

 face layer of soil should be raked off, 

 leaving a covering a little less than 

 a half inch in depth. A mulch of 

 chaff, sawdust, or old hay, if kept 

 moist and raked off when the sprouts 

 begin to break the ground, will an- 

 swer the same purpose. Uniform 

 moisture conditions should be main- 

 tained if possible, whether by surface 

 irrigation, sprinkling, or mulching. 



The seedlings should attain a 

 height of 6 to 10 inches the first sea- 

 son, and should be transplanted to the 

 permanent forest site when 1 year 

 old. Shading of the young seedlings 

 is not essential. If purchased from 

 nurseymen the cost is from $2 to $3 

 per thousand. 



The Green Ash does not cast a heavy 

 shade. It comes into leaf late in the 

 spring and hence should not be planted 

 alone, because in pure plantations the 

 grasses are likely to thrive to the det- 

 riment of tree growth and prevent the 

 formation of a desirable forest floor. 

 Close 'planting (4 by 4 feet) in well- 

 prepared soil is advisable on prairie 

 soils, and wherever possible the 

 ground should be cultivated between 

 the trees until they spread out so as 

 to form a complete ground cover. One 



