490 Forestry Quarterly. 



to this, the most important step in the process of artificial re- 

 generation. 



The best planting practice aims to place the roots as nearly as 

 possible in the same position which they occupied in the nur- 

 sery — i. e. the same dept and lateral spread — in order that vigor- 

 ous growth may be resumed with the least delay. In lifting and 

 transplanting stock, the aim is always to preserve the root sys- 

 tem intact and uninjured. 



Although the period of winter dormancy is theoretically the 

 best, yet planting at that season is of course impracticable. Hence 

 early spring before growth begins or late fall, after vegetation 

 ceases, is chosen as the nearest to this ideal. Early spring is 

 preferred to late fall because at the former time the plant enters 

 immediately upon its vegetative activity and hence promptly be- 

 comes adapted to the new environment, whereas if pla»ted in 

 fall the plant is subject to all the dangers of the new environment 

 without being able to adapt itself thereto until growth is resumed 

 in the spring. However, late fall planting is preferred to late 

 spring planting since the change in environment is most dangerous 

 during the period of active vegetation. 



An interesting experiment made by Oberforstrat Reuss in 1876, 

 proves this. Half of a large windfall area was planted early in 

 March with four year old spruce transplants (2-2 stock). The 

 other half of the area was planted with similar stock end of April. 



The intervening weeks were marked by a "second winter" with 

 cold, dry winds. Nevertheless the March planting showed by 

 far the better development and a loss of only 4% in the first 

 year, 2.9% in the second ; whereas the April planting showed a 

 loss of 19% in the first year and 7.5% in the second. The height 

 growth of the March planting averaged 2.808 inches in the first 

 year, whereas that of the April planting was but 2.067 inches. 



Often, when pushed for time in e&rly spring, the Austrian for- 

 ester will take the transplants out of the nursery and heel them in 

 some cool place covered with brush or will even place them in 

 a crudely prepared snow pit — merely to prevent vegetation and 

 so to lengthen the period of spring planting. That this heeling 

 in is feasible even in fall and thereby the stock kept until planting 

 time in spring was proven by Oberforster Teynil who in 1884, 

 to prevent winter damage by game, heeled in during the fall 

 26,000 three year old spruce transplants (1-2 stock). These he 



