Quadrat Method in Forestry Investigations 17 



plots where dominance or suppressed condition of the tree, its 

 height, diameter, health and other factors should be known, it 

 is not practical, of course, merely to locate the specimens on -the- 

 chart by recording the initial letter of the generic name. In such 

 instance, the species is labeled with a numbered tag and the num- 

 ber listed on the map and in a notebook where full data may be 

 recorded. 13 Herbaceous plants too are often Individually num- 

 bered in the event that full notes are desired. Lath pegs, painted 

 or unpainted, bearing stenciled numbers have proven satisfactory. 



Plot Guide Straps : In accurate germination as well as chart- 

 ing work it is practically essential to have the best possible straps 

 or plot guides placed along and across the area selected. For ex- 

 ample, prior to planting seed in the natural habitat for a germina- 

 tion test, as already mentioned, an area large enough to place 

 meter guide straps is denuded of vegetation. When the straps 

 are in position a seed is planted at each decimeter point, in case 

 a test of 100 seeds is to be made, or if a 200 seed sample is de- 

 sired the planting is done at intervals of every five centimeters 

 along the strap throughout the meter unit. The straps are sub- 

 sequently replaced to facilitate the location of the seedlings and 

 sterile seed and the germination record obtained in terms of per- 

 centage. 



Since satisfactory plot guide straps are not obtainable on 

 the market, some guides have recently been devised which appear 

 to be highly utilitarian and permit of greater accuracy than those 

 generally used. A description and figure showing their exact 

 construction is here presented. While the sketch is designed on 

 the basis of a meter unit, any length desired may be made accord- 

 ing to the description given. 



Each set (Fig. 1) consists of four boundary straps as shown 

 by A, and two division straps as shown by B. The Boundary 

 straps have a width of 13 mm., a total length of 1.113 meters, 

 and a thickness of approximately one mm.* Each boundary 

 strap is divided and perforated as follows : The first perforation 



b In case of trees, aluminum tags of circular shape and usually not to 

 exceed an inch in diameter bearing the number of the specimen has given 

 satisfaction. Such tags are obtainable on the market and can be pur- 

 chased bearing figures ranging numerically from 1 to any practical denomi- 

 nation. The iron finishing nail and the copper nail have both been suc- 

 cessfully used to fasten the tags. The iron nail may be relied upon in 

 semi-arid regions for a period of approximately five years. In the event, 

 that the experiment is to be continued for a longer time, the copper nail 

 should be used in so much as the initial cost will offset by the added 

 work in replacing the iron nails from time to time. 



*In case that straps of much greater length are desired to those used 

 for meter plot mapping, they should, of course, be made correspondingly 

 wider and of heavier material. 



