94 FOREST PLANTING. 



apart in the rows ; in the other case from eighteen to 

 twenty-four inches. But even for the hitter purpose it 

 is advisable to plant first closely (say ten inches apart), 

 and transplant later further apart at another place in the 

 nursery. Although we would not advise that a tree be 

 transplanted in the nursery more often than is absolutely 

 necessary to attain the purposes aimed at, repeated trans- 

 planting, if carefully done, promotes the development of 

 the root system, as each planting will require a little 

 trimming of the roots, and by shortening of the tap- 

 roots, which too often run deeper than is desirable, the 

 growth of the lateral roots will be favored this being 

 the most desirable point in the culture of whatever tree 

 may be in question. If the transplanting in the nursery 

 is not done with the proper care, and the roots, owing 

 to their injured condition, have to be pruned heavily, no 

 vigorous growth can be expected, but debilitation is in- 

 duced and a premature death must be expected. The 

 mode of planting the one or two-year-old plants is 

 the same as with the coniferous trees; but the holes 

 opened with the axe must be correspondingly larger for 

 the greater root development of the two-year-old plants. 

 It is, therefore, a better plan that such plants as have a 

 strongly developed root system be transplanted into the 

 nursery lines when one year old. 



In transplanting young trees of from four to five feet 

 high in the nursery, for the purpose of raising larger 

 ones of from ten to twelve feet high, the axe of course 

 will not answer. In that case holes of sufficient size 

 should be dug with the spade and hoe, and the lateral 

 roots should be well bedded in by hand in their original 

 position. Many deciduous trees, especially oaks, incline 

 much to forkiness, which tendency should be promptly 

 and carefully suppressed in the nursery by proper trim- 

 ming, unless it is intended to raise such forky trees on 

 account of their usefulness in certain manufactures, as 



