Dec. 15,1925 Studies in Western Yellow Pine Nursery Practice 1117 
to the unusually late season and unavoidable delay in getting the 
beds ready. About 375 seeds (as determined by weight) were used 
per drill, that number being sufficient to produce an estimated stand 
of 200 plants per drill four feet long. Drills were 3 inches apart. 
One-half inch of clean sand was used for covering seed. 
The beds were given one-half shade from time of sowing to the 
end of the season, except when frames were removed for short periods 
to check damping-on. Protection from birds and rodents was 
provided by a Pettis seed-bed frame. 
Counts of germination and loss were made about once a week 
from the time of first germination until September, with a final 
count in mid-October. Plants were left in the beds for two seasons 
and were counted again at the end of the second season. 
All beds were watered equally during the period of heaviest germi¬ 
nation up to August, in order to establish a fairly complete stand 
before differentiation in treatment began, since it was not desired 
to include in this study the effect of watering upon germination. 
After the first week in August the different beds were given the 
following kinds of watering treatment: 
(1) No artificial watering was done, and the surface was culti¬ 
vated every fourth day and as soon after every rain as the ground 
could be worked. A uniform dust mulch was maintained in this 
way. 
(2) Two quarts of water were applied per square foot every fourth 
day. Surface was cultivated after every rain and as soon after water¬ 
ing as the ground could be worked. 
(3) One quart of water was applied per square foot every other 
day. No cultivation was given. 
The differentiation in treatment was delayed because of the slow 
germination due to the late sowing. Although the treatment was 
kept up during the last three weeks in August and throughout 
September, the period was not long enough to affect the plants 
materially. It was therefore decided to continue the experiment 
through a second season and to make the contrast between treat¬ 
ments great enough to cause differences in growth in spite of the 
tendency of the plants to adjust themselves to changed conditions. 
The following different treatments were given the second season: 
(1) No artificial watering was done. Surface was cultivated as 
soon after every rain as the ground could be worked. It was also 
cultivated often enough between rains to maintain a dust mulch. 
(2) A moderate amount of water was given at the end of each 
week, the amount being regulated so that the sum of the rainfall 
and artificial water made a total of 0.75 inch per week. The water 
applied artificially was reduced to inches by timing the flow with the 
nozzle set at a certain point and measuring the cubic inches of water 
discharged per minute. The surface was cultivated after each water¬ 
ing and each rain. 
(3) The bed was heavily watered, enough water being applied to 
make a total, when combined with rainfall, of 0.75 inch for each one- 
half week. Watering was done on alternate Tuesdays and Wednes¬ 
days, as representing the middle of the week and again on Saturdays, 
thus given an interval of approximately one-half week between 
applications, not counting rains. 
