NURSERY PRACTICE ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 



35 



rally complete germination is indicated in the following table for 

 several of the Forest Service nurseries: ■ •« 



Nursery and species. 



Savcnae: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Larix occidentalis 



Trapper Creek: Pinus ponderosa 

 Boulder: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pinus austriaca 



Pinus sylvestris 



Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



Monument: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pinus austriaca 



Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



Picea engelmanni 



Bessey: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pinus di varicata 



Tinus resinosa 



Pinus sylvestris 



Minnesota: Pinus resinosa 



Germi- 

 nation 

 complete. 



Day*. 

 25 

 40 

 24 



30 to 35 

 30 to 35 

 30 to 35 

 40 to 50 



10 to 18 



10 to 15 



10 to 15 



10 



9 to 20 

 9 to 20 

 14 to 25 

 12 to 20 

 20 



Nursery and species. 



<"!ermi- 



ti;il ion 

 complete. 



Port Bayard: 



Pinus ponderosa (summer sowing) . 



Pinus jeflreyi 



Cottonwood: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pinus contorta 



Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



Picea engelmanni 



Poeatello: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



Pilgrim Creek: 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pinus jeflreyi 



Abies concolor 



Libocedrus decurrens 



Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



Wind River: Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



Days. 

 15 

 15 



30 to 35 



30 to 35 



30 to 35 



20 



20 to 30 

 45 to 60 



34 

 SO 

 66 

 64 

 58 

 35 to 50 



METHODS USED TO HASTEN GERMINATION. 



The seeds of a number of conifers germinate so slowly in the aggre- 

 gate that some method is occasionally used to hasten this function. 

 Western white pine seed is particularly slow, but as yet no successful 

 method of hastening germination has been devised. The seed will 

 not finish germinating in the seed beds for 2 or 3 years, which 

 complicates the nursery operations considerably. A common method 

 tried for various species is to soak the seed in water for a number of 

 iays until they swell and begin to sprout. Other methods are to 

 mix the seed with well-rotted compost and soil until sprouting 

 begins, to stratify them in slightly moist sand in a cool place over 

 winter, or to scald bony coated seed in nearly boiling water and allow 

 hem to stand in the water for a couple of days. 



The efficiency of the first two methods is doubtful. As soon as 

 he seed begins to sprout it is necessary to sow the whole lot, and 

 here is no certainty that the seed have sprouted because of the treat- 

 ment or that the unsprouted ones have benefited. Even with slow- 

 jerminating seed like the western white pine, a small proportion of 

 iny lot when simply sown in the beds without previous treatment 

 ■vill germinate in a short time, and it is almost unquestionably these 

 ;ame seed which are the first to sprout under special treatment. 



Stratifying in sand over winter in a cool place will undoubtedly 

 lasten the germination of nearly all coniferous seed. The period is 

 ong enough so that that the seed have ample time to absorb the 

 moisture necessary for their germination, and the temperature is low 

 •nought to prevent germination until the following spring. This 

 nethod has been followed successfully even with Juniperus packy- 



