Some Developments in Reforestation on National Forests 105 



The reduction of costs in a nursery comes about through im- 

 proved methods in nursery practice and by prevention of losses. 

 Fortunately, it often happens that improvement of stock and re- 

 ductions of cost go hand in hand. Thus, in Forest Service work, 

 the small ranger nurseries of five to ten thousand plants capacity 

 yearly are being eliminated and the production of stock is being 

 concentrated at large nurseries.. It is found that not only can 

 better stock be produced at such nurseries but it can be grown 

 with less cost. At present the great bulk of nursery stock used 

 by the Forest Service is grown in fourteen nurseries each with 

 a'capacity of over 50,000 yearly ; several of these have a capacity 

 of over one million, and one has a capacity of four million. 

 Because of overhead charges which are likely to be nearly as 

 great for small as for large nurseries, those of one million capacity 

 or over per year are preferable to smaller ones from the stand- 

 point of costs. At the larger nurseries, also, more efficient 

 methods in growing and handling the stock are worked out with 

 the consequent production of a better class of trees. 



The importance of carefully choosing the nursery site has 

 been emphasized at some of the Forest Service nurseries. Thus 

 at one of them, due to severe winter winds and lack of snow, 

 it is necessary to cover the stock with brush to prevent winter 

 killing. This, of course, adds to the cost of the stock. At 

 another nursery severe losses have been experienced from frosts, 

 and the danger of such losses is always present. At still another 

 nursery, there is an excessive winter snowfall which sometimes 

 reaches a level height of seven to eight feet. Douglas fir, which 

 has been one of the main species grown there, suffers severely 

 under this snow. The probable cause of this is a combination of 

 snow and some fungus. Sites where a moderate fall of snow 

 covers the plants all winter appear to be the most desirable for 

 nurseries. Those with slopes over two to three per cent should 

 be avoided because of the difficulties encountered in washing of 

 the soil and in irrigating if this method of watering is followed. 



Some rather fundamental facts have been developed in 

 regard to pipe line water systems. These are : 



1. To facilitate its cleaning out, a water reservoir should 

 have an outlet besides that of the distributing pipe line. 



2. To prevent sand or gravel from getting into the system 

 and clogging nozzles or sprinklers, the pipe at the intake should 

 be covered with a coarse and a fine screen. 



3. There should be one gate valve next to the reservoir, one 

 on the main pipe just before it reaches the nursery area, and 

 others at the junction of each lateral to the main pipe. 



