6 BULLETIN 470, U. B. DEPARTMENT OF AOBICULTURE. 



keeps a nursery too cold and damp for the best development of the 

 stock. 



In Europe it is considered advisable to take advantage of locations 

 where shade and protection against wind are afforded by old stands 

 on the south and west sides. For species especially susceptible to heat 

 or frost, such as spruce and fir, this side protection is considered 

 especially desirable. Where the planting stock is of light-loving 

 species, such as pine and larch, there should not be enough shade to 

 be harmful. The size of a large nursery will eliminate the pos- 

 sibility of side shade for all the beds; but this will not necessarily 

 be a disadvantage, because, usually, shade will not be desirable for all 

 the species grown. All the beds, however, may be protected from hot 

 and cold winds, making less watering and possibly less artificial 

 TJrotection necessary. 



COVER OF THE SITE. 



The growing cover of a site serves as a criterion of the quality 

 of the soil, such as its fertility, acidity, or alkalinity, and normal 

 moisture content. It also has an important bearing on the cost of 

 putting the ground into condition for nursery purposes, the subse- 

 quent work which may be necessary, and the effect of the preliminary 

 work upon the soil itself. 



Dead and down logs and old stumps or a large amount of rock 

 will necessitate expensive clearing operations. Where the stumps are 

 large and numerous, as in Pacific coast Douglas fir cuttings, and the 

 amount of down timber considerable, the cost of clearing and putting 

 the ground into shape for nursery operations may amount to $200 or 

 $300 per acre. This expense is not the only bad feature. Even after 

 careful clearing and working up of the ground additional rocks, 

 pieces of roots, bark, and twigs will be encountered for years to come. 

 In removing rocks and stumps, moreover, the subsoil is thrown out 

 on the surface, and being of inferior quality in most cases, gives rise 

 to infertile patches throughout the nursery on which the growth 

 of plants is poor. Besides when the stumps and logs are being burned 

 the humus is also burned and the soil made poorer in quality. The 

 inadvisability of choosing a rocky area or one covered with stumps is 

 apparent unless other factors offset these disadvantages. 



Too much emphasis, however, should not be laid upon the difference 

 in the initial cost of soil preparation. Often the fact that timber has 

 grown upon a site is a strong indication that after clearing the ground 

 will be well suited for nursery purposes. While the cost of putting 

 a treeless area into shape may be less, the site may not be so well 

 suited for growing trees. 



