6 BULLETIN" 479, L T . S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
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. TVTiere 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 
protection 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. TVliere 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. TVTiile the cost of putting 
a treeless area into shape may be less, the site may not be so well 
suited for growing trees. 
