916 JOURNAL Ol* FORESTRY 



use. The sulk)' plow can be easily raised or lowered, turned quickly at 

 the points where a complete turn is to be made, easily raised or lowered, 

 and can be hauled through brush or over down timber more easily than 

 can a walking plow. A plow with either a two or three horse base has 

 proven a very satisfactory implement for this work. The furrows are 

 usually plowed from 12 to 14 inches wide and just deep enough to 

 remove the sod or heavy growth of vegetation. The distance between 

 furrows is from 6 to 8 feet, depending upon the number of trees per 

 acre to be planted. The furrows can be plowed at any time when work 

 is slack or when teams can be easily secured. 



PLANTING TOOLS 



A special tool has been developed as a result of repeated experiments 

 and has proved very satisfactory for this class of work. These tools 

 are locally designated planting tools or bars, the lower part of which 

 consists of a wedge-shaped piece of steel from 8 to 12 inches long, 

 3 to 4 inches wide, and about three-eighths of an inch thick at the top 

 of the wedge. The steel tapers down to a thin rounded point at the 

 lower end. The handle consists of a piece of galvanized iron "cold 

 shrunk" upon a short extension of the wedge and makes the length of 

 the tool slightly longer than a short-handled shovel. A grip handle 

 similar to the handles upon the common potato forks is often attached 

 and is considered a particularly desirable feature in ease of handling 

 and in allowing a heavy downward thrust to be made without undue 

 effort. The State planters prefer a smaller and lighter tool of about 

 the minimum dimensions quoted, without the grip handle, but having a 

 step attachment of a small iron extension from the wedge and used in 

 forcing the bar into the soil with the foot. The men who have worked 

 in Federal planting operations prefer the heavier tools, since it is pos- 

 sible to force the bar to the proper depth by one downward motion. 



The planting stock is carried in pails, wooden boxes, or specially 

 made galvanized iron boxes. The pails are not as handy in removing 

 stock, nor can as many trees be carried as in boxes. The galvanized 

 iron boxes are lighter than the wooden, but the latter are practically 

 secured without cost and prove very satisfactory. The boxes are pref- 

 erably from 10 to 12 inches wide, 20 to 24 inches long, and from 5 to 7 

 inches deep for the usual run of 2-0 or 2-1 stock. A stiff strap i to i^ 

 inches wide is attached from end to end of the wooden box and forms 

 a handle which constantly remains upright and away from the trees. 

 This handle can be easily grasped as the planter proceeds from one 



