number of center culms, height and basal area) the short, thin-stemmed 

 plants were inferior to the other three types of plants. There was some- 

 what less difference in survival. It appears from this test that the 

 larger, plumper stems, which probably contain the most food reserves, are 

 preferable for transplanting purposes. However, even the very small plants 

 are not worthless and may be used if limited sources are available. 



It is advantageous to establish nursery plantings at locations within 

 the intertidal zone accessible by tractor-mounted equipment which facili- 

 tates digging. These plantings can be established by either seeding or 

 transplanting in 1 year, and planting stock can be dug from them the next 

 spring. Plants grown in this manner are more uniform and generally of 

 better quality than those obtained from natural marshes. Certainly, this 

 method offers substantial savings in time spent in searching and moving 

 between different patches of desirable natural stands. Marsh recovery 

 following digging is rapid, making it feasible to take plants from the 

 same site year after year as long as the growth does not become so dense 

 that the stand loses vigor. 



Nursery production has also been tested on upland sites under irriga- 

 tion. This type of production was done first on the North Carolina State 

 University (NCSU) Clayton Research Farm in 1971. Transplants were grown 

 under sprinkler irrigation on a very sandy substrate. First-year growth 

 was roughly comparable with that on sites of intermediate productivity 

 on the coast. Weed control was the most difficult problem. Frequent 

 irrigation coupled with the very sandy soil tends to nullify the effect 

 of herbicides while encouraging rapid germination of weedy annuals 

 following cultivation. Consequently, frequent cultivation was required, 

 which discouraged the lateral spread of the S. alterni flora . 



Another approach, under flood irrigation, was undertaken in 1972 on 

 a nearby field with a less pervious subsoil. A low dike was constructed 

 around the area, transplants from several locations were introduced on a 

 0.61 -meter spacing, and several hundred viable seeds per square meter 

 from one source were broadcast. The area was flooded intermittently by 

 supplementing rainfall with water pumped from an irrigation pond. This 

 effort was more successful than the planting under sprinkler irrigation 

 (Figs. 4, 5). The weed problem was greatly reduced, but not eliminated, 

 as there was still some invasion by freshwater marsh species (Typhi sp., 

 cattail) and other plants tolerant of flooded conditions. Survival and 

 production by large and medium transplants from Drum Inlet, the large 

 transplants from Snow's Cut, and both transplants and seedlings from 

 Oregon Inlet were good (Tab. 3). Aerial yields were considerably lower 

 for short and medium transplants from Snow's Cut and short and tall ones 

 from Beaufort, as was the case in the field trial in the Core Sound 

 estuary at Drum Inlet. Since the flooding periods on this field were days 

 to weeks in length rather than hours and, thus, vaguely simulated wind 

 setup (referred locally as wind tide), it might be expected that trans- 

 plants and seeds from wind setup areas, in this case Oregon Inlet and Drum 

 Inlet, would do relatively well. The yield from seedlings was greater 

 than from transplants because the heavy application rate of seeds resulted 



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