NURSERY PRACTICE ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 41 



soil, 2-0 * western yellow pine has been produced which, it is claimed, 

 is superior to the 1-1 stock. 



Watering may be necessary daily, two or three times a week, once 

 in two weeks, or even less frequently, depending on the weather 

 and the nature of the soil. A brownish, dying condition of the 

 seedlings at the Bessey Nursery, called blight for some time and 

 supposedly due to disease, was later found to be due simply to in- 

 sufficient water. On the other hand, excessive moisture may produce 

 a yellowish, sickly appearance of the seedlings, and plants in this 

 condition do not recover so readily as when somewdiat damaged from 

 insufficient moisture. 



The same methods of watering are followed after germination as 

 in the pregermination period. Irrigation by flooding is very suc- 

 cessfully practiced in the sandy soil at the Bessey Nursery. The 

 practice of watering by hand with a hose can be discarded. While 

 efficient, it is slow and expensive. The use of lawn sprinklers is the 

 most common method. Half a dozen of these judiciously distributed 

 will water an acre of seed beds per day, and will require but a small 

 portion of one man's time for their attendance. 



If applied in the late afternoon or evening, the water has an op- 

 portunity to soak into the ground with less loss from evaporation 

 than if applied in the morning. It is not always possible to defer 

 watering until late afternoon or early evening, however, and damage 

 from sunscald seldom results from watering at any time of day. 

 The danger of seedlings being scalded by water and sun together if 

 the water is applied in the morning or during the middle of a hot 

 day has, in Forest Service nurseries, been found to exist only with 

 stock of bigtree {Sequoia to ashing toniana) at the Pilgrim Creek 

 Nursery and black locust {Robinia pseudacacia) at the Garden City 

 Nursery. 



The periods between watering should be progressively lengthened 

 after the growing season is from one-half to two-thirds over, so as to 

 induce the formation of terminal buds and the hardening of the 

 wood. This is essential. If heavy watering is continued until fall 

 and is accompanied by warm w r eather, seedlings may continue growth 

 until the season of heavy frosts. The plants are liable to serious 

 damage by frost if they are in a succulent growing condition, and it 

 is obvious that they should be hardened if possible. Withholding 

 water and exposing the plants to sunlight is considered one of the best 

 methods of accomplishing this result. 



If the soil is exceptionally dry just before winter sets in, the beds 

 should be given a thorough watering to lessen the probability of win- 

 ter killing or drying out. 



1 2-0 stock is that which is grown two years in the seed bed and not transplanted. 

 1-1 stock is that which is grown one year in the seed bed and one year in the trans- 

 plant bed. 



