FOREST PLANTING ON PIKE'S PEAK 



19 



5. Size of operation. 



6. Weather conditions during plant- 

 ing operations. 



7. Kind of labor used. 



Three methods of planting have been 

 found applicable to the mountainous 

 lands on the Pike National Forest. 

 They are the dibble, deep hole, and cone 

 methods. The following table shows 

 the comparative cost of these three 

 methods when similar stock is used : 



1 First figure gives tbe age of tbe stock in years 

 from seed; tbe second gives tbe number of times 

 transplanted before setting out on permanent site. 



The dibble method can be used only 

 with small-sized stock, two or three- 

 year-old seedlings, and in soil that is 

 loose, deep, and easily worked. The 

 deep hole method is the one most com- 

 monly employed. It can be used with 

 any class of stock, and since in digging 

 and refilling the holes the soil is thor- 



oughly worked, this method is appli- 

 cable to any kind of soil. The cone 

 method is employed only on very un- 

 favorable locations where especial care 

 must be used in setting the plants. 

 When, in very dry situations with 

 coarse, stony soil, it is desirable to 

 use large stock with a well-developed 

 root system, the cone method is the best 

 because it provides for a great deal of 

 care in adjusting the roots around the 

 cone and gives the plant every oppor- 

 tunity for early rooting. 



That the size of operations affects the 

 cost per acre of the work needs no dem- 

 onstration. In 1911 the cost of plant- 

 ing 67 acres on Pike's Peak was $11.80 

 per acre, and in 1913 261 acres were 

 planted at a cost of $10.04 per acre. 

 The methods used and the stock used 

 both years were similar, and the differ- 

 ence in the cost is largely due to the dif- 

 ference in the size of the job. In fact, 

 a more marked difference would have 

 been attained if weather conditions had 

 been more favorable in 1912. 



The biggest problem in economical 

 planting work is that of getting cheap 



WIRE SHIPPING CRATES DESIGNED FOR SHIPPING NURSERY STOCK ON THE PIKE 



NATIONAL FOREST. 



