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160 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



factory, since the trees are not evenly placed and there is a tendency not 

 to pack the soil sufficently. In this method, the slits are made with a 

 spade and he soil is placed around the tree by hand and by thorough 

 watering. It is a sow method. The spade method of furrowing with 

 board planting is similar to the trencher method with the exception that 

 in one case the furrow is made with a spade and in the other the slit 

 trench is made with a trencher. 



The trencher method of slit trenches with board planting owes its 

 origin to the Fort Bayard Nursey but has been perfected largely at the 

 Halsey nursery. The trencher is made from sheet iron and gas pipe and 

 is usually forced into the soil by the operator, who stands on it and 

 gradually forces it into the soil. The boards are 75 inches long and 

 contain 50 notches. The seedlings are placed in the notches and are 

 then held in place by puttng a slat just above the notches. The slat is 

 held in place in the trench, soil is crowded in on the side nearest the 

 operator by the use of a small wooden tamper. The planting board is 

 then laid flat on top of the trees and the soil on the other side is tamped, 

 after which the board is removed and the trees are straightened. A 

 special bench with a burlap windbreak makes the work of placnig the 

 trees in the board easy and ax the same time protects the trees from 

 the wind. Seven men work in the transplanting crew, four placing seed- 

 lings in planting boards at two benches, one making trenches, two men 

 planting the trees and another man carrying boards to and from the 

 benches. Generally the members of the crew change places four or five 

 times during the day. The most skill is required by the men at the 

 benches and the best workers are able to thread seedlings fully 80 to 

 100 per cent faster than average workers even after then have had con- 

 siderable experience. This method of transplanting accomplishes three 

 to eight times as much as the other trench methods. It is considerably 

 faster than the dibble method. More trees can be planted per man than 

 by the dibble method and it is not as tiresome for the men when they 

 are working at full capacity. The trencher is not advisable for stony 

 soil. 



Transplants are usually planted without shade but some commercial 

 nurseries use shade limitedly. The transplanting is as a rule performed 

 in spring but some commercial nurseries transplant in autumn when 

 labor is cheaper than in spring and when there is less rush in nursery 

 operations. Transplant rows are from 16 to 18 inches apart and the 

 seedlings are planced from one and one-half to three or more inches 

 apart, depending somewhat on the size and the length of time they are 

 to remain. Unless the soil is already quite moist it is good practice to 

 water it quite freely after transplanting in order to save loss from dry- 

 ing out. 



Nursery practice in the United States offers an excellent opportunity 

 for a large amount of exact scientific woi'k that should be of vast im- 

 portance. In order to secure good results in government planting, it will 

 be necessary to secure scientific men who will not only be practical but 



