16 THE NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL. 



Nurseries should, as a rule, be of a size sufficient to produce not 



less than a million seedlings per annum. Exceptions 



may be made in cases where specific isolated areas, 



which can not be supplied from the main nurseries, must be furnished 



with smaller amounts of stock grown near the planting sites and under 



similar climatic conditions. 



Aside from purely experimental work, field seeding and planting 

 operations should, as far as possible, be concentrated, 



ian e tiig seedins and a ^ l eas ^ ^ suc h an extent as will eliminate dispro- 

 portionate overhead charges for supervision, travel, 

 aild the like, and make the cost records applicable to future work 

 planned on an extensive scale. 



It is of special importance that the results of all reforestation 



operations be closely studied in the field by district 



lts * and forest officers to ascertain the reasons for success 



or failure and enable the experience gained to be intelligently applied 



to future work. Detailed periodic inspections should be made and 



their findings incorporated in reports to the district office. 



PLANS AND REPORTS. 



Planting plans, included under "Working plans/' will be prepared 

 for each Forest and will indicate specifically the ex- 

 tent of the annual planting and seeding which is 

 recommended. 



Such plans will be revised each year and the recommended changes 

 submitted with the annual forest plan. 



Nursery plans, included under "Working plans/' will be revised 

 and submitted annually by the supervisor with the 

 annual forest plan. They should be accompanied by 

 the nursery reports. 



The district plan, which will be compiled from the forest and 

 nursery plans, will be submitted annually to the 



District plan. Forester . 



SEED COLLECTING. 



A careful examination of extensive bodies of timber is necessary to 



determine the abundance of the crop and the best 



iec c to\ dm nsforcol ~ localities for collecting. Since cones are much more 



liable to be affected by insects during "off years/' 



they should be examined before arrangements for collecting are made 



by peeling off the scales with a sharp Knife, cutting toward the apex 



of the cone. The fertility of the seed can also be determined in this 



way. 



The best results can only be obtained by planning and arranging 



Timeforcoiiectin ^ e work early in the season and by organizing it on 



'" a sufficient scale to insure completion while the 



weather is still good and before slow and expensive artificial drying 



becomes necessary. 



Before collecting, it is necessary to determine if the seed is ripe. 

 Since the external appearance of the cones can not be relied upon, 

 the seed itself must be examined. As long as the seed is soft and 

 milky it is still immature. Cones of the same species ripen first at 

 the lower altitudes. Heavy frosts, followed by warm days, mate- 



