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Canadian Forestry Journal, September, U)18 



Growing a New Forest Family at 



St. Jovite 



By A. C. Volkmar, Forester, The Riordon Pulp and Paper Co. 



Over Three Million Little Trees Being Prepared 

 for Reforestation in Canada's Newest Nursery. 



The reforestation policy of The 

 Riordon Pulp Si Paper Co., Ltd., 

 was first started in 1916, when an 

 experiment was made with Norway 

 spmce seed, in a small quantity. 

 The results were encouraging, and 

 in 1917, it was decided to develope a 

 nursery with an annual production of 

 1,000,000 select three-year-old trans- 

 plants of spruce and about 100,000 

 select three-year-old transplants of 

 white and red pine. 



With this object in view a farm 

 near St. Jovite was purchased and 

 the part best suited reserved as a 

 nursery. The soil is light and sandy, 

 with a clay subsoil, about three feet 

 from the surface. The site is a 

 slightly rolling area, with a western 

 aspect. To insure proper drainage in 

 spring, a system of blind drains, or 

 trenches filled svith stone covered with 

 -earth, has been installed, which 

 isuccessfully carries off the surplus 

 water. 



The seed beds have been arranged 

 to allow for three sets with an annual 

 production of about three million 

 seedlings each year. In this manner 

 one set will lie fallow each year, 

 following the removal of two year 

 seedlings to transplant beds. The 

 fallow beds will be sown to cow peas 

 and clover, same being plowed in, as 

 fertiUzer, in addition to such quantity 

 of other fertilizer as proves neces- 

 sary to maintain the soil in fertile 

 condition. The beds have been 

 arranged to iiin wilh the contours, 

 and where erosion is likely to occur, 

 beds have been elevated on the 

 lower side, so that the path-ways 

 will check the flow of surface water 

 and allow it to seep in more gradually. 



In cases of heavy slopes, the lower 

 sides of the beds have been re-in- 

 forced with boards. 



Watering System. 



As no natural water supply was 

 at hand, a tap line 2,500 feet long was 

 run down to the village main and the 

 water brought to the nursery by 

 gravity pressure. This pressure was 

 not sufficient for spraying purposes, 

 so an open cement tank 10x10x10 ft. 

 was built and the pressure for spray- 

 ing supplied by a gasoline engine and 

 pump. 



Shade Frames 



The shade frames now in use are 

 12x4 ft. covered by a coarse mesh 

 burlap, on a roller, so that the frame 

 body ramains on bed all season and 

 only the burlap is rolled up, or 

 unrolled, as the occasion requires. 

 The nursery is so located that no 

 natural shade is at hand, and conse- 

 quently the seedbfcds are kept under 

 this diffused light during sunny days, 

 and as the soil is light, and the heat 

 and light strong, two year old seed- 

 lings will be kept shaded during 

 extremes of heat, at least. The life 

 of the burlap is about 23^2 seasons, but 

 when the saving in labour is consid- 

 ered, in covering and uncovering the 

 beds, the expense is practically no 

 more than with lath frames. 



Winter Protection. 

 Winter protection demands consid- 

 erable attention, and is very neces- 

 sary, as proven by experiment. The 

 ground usually freezes to a consider- 

 able depth before the snow comes, 

 which results in "heaving" to a 

 great extent in the spring. To ob- 

 viate this, the beds are covered with 



