104 Forest Club Annual 



the stock after it is planted in the field. Transplanting almost 

 invariably results in the production of stock with more evenly 

 balanced roots and tops. The shock of transplanting retards top 

 development and stimulates root development. Through judicious 

 watering, however, seedling stock of western yellow pine and 

 Douglas fir is being produced at some Forest Service nurseries 

 which is apparently nearly the equal of the transplants at the 

 same nurseries. The practice of root-pruning stock in place has 

 not yet been given the attention which would seem to be war- 

 ranted. Through this practice it is quite probable that root- 

 pruned seedling stock can be developed which will be the equal 

 of and produced at less cost than transplant stock. 



It is quite generally recognized that the use of fertilizer in 

 some form is quite essential to maintain a nursery at its best 

 productive capacity. Because Forest Service nurseries are lo- 

 cated at some distance from large centers it is becoming more and 

 more difficult to secure animal manures in sufficient quantities 

 at reasonable rates. Very little experience has been had with 

 commercial fertilizers, but eventually these will undoubtedly come 

 more and more into use. The use of green fertilizers, that is, 

 cover crops, is already being practiced at a number of nurseries 

 and this method of fertilizing is bound to be favored more in the 

 future. Cowpeas, clover, and Mexican beans are used for this 

 purpose and other lupines will undoubtedly find favor. The use 

 of green fertilizers improves both the physical and chemical 

 qualities of the soil. The results of two or three experiments 

 with fertilizers are interesting. 



At the Wind River Nursery in Washington, Douglas fir seed- 

 lings in beds treated with horse manure were considerably darker 

 in color than those in untreated beds ; the germination was in- 

 creased and hastened in the former; the seedlings were 43 per 

 cent heavier and 9 per cent taller ; they were less uniform in size ; 

 top development was increased far more than that of the roots ; 

 fall hardening was retarded in the fertilized beds ; and the frost 

 injury was five times as great as in the unfertilized. 



At the Halsey Nursery in Nebraska, it has been found that 

 better germination is secured with jack pine seed where a moder- 

 ate amount of manure is applied some time previous to the sow- 

 ing of the seed. An experiment in liming the soil at the Converse 

 Flats Station in California resulted in the transplants of incense 

 and deodar cedars and western yellow pine making one to two 

 inches more of top growth, and in the development of a more 

 fibrous root system than in unlimed beds. With Jeffrey pine, 

 there was no additional increase in top growth. 



