«Work of the Forest Service in Nebraska. 59 



■we will no doubt recommend it for general planting, as it is a tree of 

 more economic value than the Jack Pine. This two year old stock that 

 is doing so well with us is planted in furrows, but the one year old 

 stock is more successful in the sod. 



Planting trees in the hills is a simple operation. We organize 

 our force in squads of threes, one man carries the trees in a bucket 

 and the other two do the planting with spades. When planting la 

 furrows, the furrows are plowed six feet apart and the trees are set 

 six feet apart in the bottom of the furrow. When planting in the 

 sod a line of stakes is set for the leader to follow and each successive 

 squad follows to the flank of the preceding squad. 



Planting in this manner costs from $1.75 to $3.00 per thousand 

 trees, depending upon the character of the ground to be planted, the 

 rougher and more uneven the ground the more it will cost to plant it. 



We find that the direction of the slope of the ground is a tre- 

 mendous factor in the success of planting, 10 to 15 per cent more trees 

 live on a north slope than on a south slope, and an east slope is prefer- 

 able to a west slope. To sum up the results of our experience in tree 

 planting we have reached the following conclusions: 



1. For general planting throughout the sand hills of this state 

 we recommend the Jack Pine. Two year old stock should be used, 

 six to eight inches in height, wild seedlings grow very successfully 

 and are much cheaper than nursery stock. 



2. The best results are obtained from planting on northern ex- 

 posures, followed by the northeast, east, and southeast exposure.5 

 South and west exposures give the poorest results. Side hills are more 

 preferable for planting than depressions or pockets, or the crests of 

 hills. 



3. On ground where the sand is light and loose the trees should 

 be planted in the grass sod with the least possible disturbance of the 

 soil. In the valleys or on nearly level ground where the soil is firm 

 and the grass sod thick and heavy single furrows should be plowed 

 six feet apart and the trees planted in the bottom of the furrow. 



4. Pine trees should be planted early in May in damp or foggy 

 weather if possible. Never attempt to plant pine trees in dry, windy 

 weather. 



5. Every precaution must be taken to prevent undue exposure 

 of the roots, to the sun and wind. 



In connection with tree planting, growing the seedlings has re- 

 quired much of our time and attention. Time will not permit me to 

 go into details in discussing this work. Suffice it to say that we now 



