FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 91 



Norway spruce, 4 year-old transplants 310, 000 



Douglas spruce, 4 year-old transplants 300 



White cedar, 4 year-old transplants 1 , 500 



White ash, 4 year-old transplants 450 



Total 5 6 5'45° 



As a rule we use 4 year-old transplants in our reforesting, but the 

 Scotch pine makes such a rapid growth in our nurseries that this species 

 attains a suitable size for field planting when three years old. Hitherto, 

 we have held them in the beds until four years old, but their increased size 

 proved objectionable. Their bulk increased the cost of transportation, 

 their large root system required a larger hole in the planting, and the per- 

 centage of failures was greater than in smaller plants. By restricting our 

 plants to a certain medium in size we obtain better results in our planta- 

 tions, both as to economy in planting and endurance of the stock. 



The Department now maintains four nurseries: 



1. Saranac Inn Nursery. This one is located at Saranac Inn Rail- 

 road station, two and one-half miles from the hotel. It has a rectangular, 

 area of two acres, inclosed by a substantial, well-painted picket fence. 

 The transplant beds, laid out east and west, are four feet wide and forty 

 feet long, separated by narrow, well-kept paths, with a wagon road run- 

 ning through the center. For sprinkling the beds in dry weather the in- 

 closure is traversed by lines of galvanized iron pipes at convenient dis- 

 tances, fitted with hydrants to which rubber hose can be attached. The 

 water supply comes from a large tank, placed on the hillside beyond the 

 railroad, with a capacity of 5,000 gallons, and protected from the weather 

 by a house, neatly built and painted. The tank is filled by a hydraulic 

 ram a few rods away at the outlet of Little Clear Pond. 



The soil in this nursery is sandy, free from stone or gravel and is under- 

 laid with a bed of hard pan. To secure the necessary moisture and 

 fertility 555 cubic yards of rich, black muck were hauled to the inclosure 

 from time to time and thoroughly mixed with the soil. In addition, the 

 ground received a liberal application of compost made from horse manure. 

 This was expensive, but the thrifty growth of the plants has justified the 



