540 Forestry Quarterly. 



Four years ago, the writer in an effort to reduce the cost of 

 making transplants, devised the implement known as the Yale 

 transplanting board herein described. This board has now been 

 used for four seasons at the Yale Forest School and for one or 

 more seasons by various state foresters and others in eastern 

 United States. The important place that this board has taken is 

 shown in the following letters which are but a few of those re- 

 ceived in reference to it. 



August 4. 191 1. 

 Professor J. W. Tourney, 

 Director, Yale Forest School, 

 New Haven, Conn. 



My dear Tourney: Your letter of August ist in regard to Yale Plant- 

 ing Board received. We have used your board for two years with great 

 success. I believe the best estimate of its usefulness is that we have been 

 able to reduce the cost of transplanting from $1.40 to, approximately, 

 60 cents per thousand. When our transplanting approximates five million 

 per year, you can readily estimate the value of this board. It also practi- 

 cally precludes any doubling of the roots. Under the old trowel method, 

 the roots, especially tap roots of the tap root varieties, were doubled, which 

 greatly interfered with the future growth. In this case the roots are all 

 straight and no injury of this nature results. 



We are also able to accomplish more in the same amount of time, 

 therefore, during the season when the time for planting is short, the 

 value of the board is again demonstrated. 



A spade is used in conjunction with the board for digging trenches 

 and therefore one-half to three-fourth inch of frosts in the surface of 

 the soil does not interfere with the work and permits planting, whereas 

 if trowels were used, it would be necessary to suspend the work until 

 the ground had thawed out. Similarly, the men are not required to be 

 upon their knees and are therefore able to work during light rains and 

 at other times when they would ordinarily quit if they were using trowels. 



These are all important factors, because time is of great importance 

 when a large number of trees have to be planted in a very short period. 



I wish to congratulate you on the success of the board. 



Very truly yours, 

 C. R. Pums, Supt, State Forests, New York. 



Professor J. W. Toumey, 

 Yale Forest School, 

 New Haven, Conn. 



Dear Prof. Toumey: We used the Yale planting board at our Morris- 

 ville Nursery this spring and found that for transplanting one and two 

 year old coniferous seedlings it is very efficient. By its use the cost of 

 transplanting was reduced fifty per cent. 



We used a crew of four men, one stringing seedlings, one digging a 

 trench, one handling the planting board and one filling in the soil and 

 smoothing the ground. 



We shall certainly continue the use of the board in the future. 



Very sincerely yours, 

 E. A. Sterling, Forester of the Pa. R. R. Co. 



