76 FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 



Details of Planting. 



Heeling In: — Plants received from the nursery will probably 

 be packed in a box with sphagnum moss. They usually are tied 

 in bundles of 100, with the crowns open to the air, and the roots 

 carefully protected from drying out through their wrapping of 

 wet moss. Upon unpacking the young stock, which should be 

 done at once, great care must be taken that the roots are not 

 exposed for any length of time to the sun and air, as they dry 

 out very quickly and result in injury to or the death of the 

 seedling. 



If they are to be set out in the field immediately, it should be 

 sufficient to moisten the moss over the roots, and place in the 

 shade or cover with burlap. However if they are to be kept 

 for some length of time it is better to "heel them in." This 

 consists in digging a deep V-shaped trench with the spade — one 

 side of the trench vertical, the other sloping. Lay the plants 

 carefully on the sloping side so that the roots lie straight and 

 free, and so that the crowns project two inches above the ground 

 surface. Then fill in the soil, around the roots — taking care not 

 to injure them. The loose fill in the trench should then be packed 

 down hard and watered. If possible they should be located, 

 while heeled in, on the north or shady side of a building, and if 

 so disposed of should keep for weeks. 



If moss is not available for protecting the roots during plant- 

 ing it is effective to dip the roots in a puddle of thin mud, so 

 that they are coated with a moist, muddy layer, or the plants 

 should be carried in a pail so that the roots are constantly im- 

 mersed in thin mud. 



Planting: — Two men working together make the most eco- 

 nomical crew for planting, although it is possible for one man 

 to do it efficiently. Two men should be able to plant upwards 

 of an acre a day under average conditions. One man carries the 

 basket of plants — with their roots protected — and assists the 

 mattock man in placing the tree. The mattock, or spade if pre- 

 ferred, should be driven deep in the ground, and the soil thus 

 loosened, lifted and brought back just far enough to allow the 

 insertion of the plant. It is not necessary to remove the mattock 

 from the hole. The plant should be tucked carefully down 

 behind the blade so that the roots lie straight in the hole, and the 



