20 Forestry Quarterly 



THEORY AND METHOD OF PLANTING 



The theory upon which the planting work was based was 

 that the young plants needed protection and shade after they had 

 been planted. The soil should be shaded to reduce evaporation 

 to a minimum and the young trees should be shaded to prevent 

 transpiration through the leaves. For these reasons, wherever 

 it was possible the trees were planted on the shady side of the 

 individual brush plant, viz : that side which gets the least direct 

 sunlight. Temperatures in the shade of the brush are cooler in 

 the warm part of the day and warmer in the cold parts of the 

 day than in the open. Evaporation of moisture from the soil 

 is important both winter and summer, hence planting under ever- 

 green brush is much more advantageous. Snow lies longer under 

 the brush and hence feeds the soil with snow water for a longer 

 period of time than is the case in the open places. The moisture 

 of the soil is distributed somewhat differently in the shade of the 

 brush than in the open. A careful investigation of the condition 

 of the soil directly at the stool of the brush plant and then at 

 various distances away from the stool, until one gets out on 

 open ground, reveals the following facts : Directly in the shade 

 of the brush plant, and especially those places that get the mini- 

 mum of direct sunlight, there is first a layer of leaves and under 

 this a layer of humus from ^ to 1 inch deep. This latter layer 

 together with about an inch of humus soil directly underneath 

 comprises the soil layer of greatest water content. As one digs 

 down, the moisture content gets less, down to a depth of about 

 15 inches, below which the moisture content remains practically 

 constant. In the open, away from the brush plant, there are no 

 leaves and humus. The top layer of soil is the layer of minimum 

 water content, drier than the driest layer in the other case. From 

 6 to 12 inches there is not much more moisture and at about 20 

 inches there is not as much moisture as there is at 12 to 15 inches 

 in the soil under the brush plant. This difference is more marked 

 when contrasting the soil to the south of a brush plant with that 

 to the north than it is when contrasting the south side with 

 either the east or west. Not only does the soil in the shade of 

 the brush absorb more water, but it loses less than the soil in the 

 open. From the standpoint of soil moisture, therefore, it seems 



