ESTABLISHING FORESTS BY PLANTING 369 



9. IMPORTED FOREST STOCK 



Until recent years a large part of the coniferous stock used in 

 silvicultural work in this country was imported from Europe. 

 Owing to the length of time in transit and the danger of import- 

 ing infected stock, its general use should be discouraged. The 

 recent development of forest nurseries in the United States and 

 the prices at which the better nurseries supply all classes of stock 

 useful in silvicultural practice make the importation of planting 

 stock no longer necessary. 



10. The Handling of the Planting Material 



Close attention must be given to all classes of stock used in 

 forest planting from the time it is lifted in the nursery or woods 

 until it is finally set in the plantation. Past experience in this 

 country provides ample evidence that far too little attention is 

 given to this important matter. 



All kinds of planting material with developed roots are either 

 batted plants or naked-rooted plants. Balled plants are lifted in 

 the nursery or field with a ball of earth about the roots and are 

 reset in the plantation with the soil attached. Naked-rooted 

 plants are lifted without the soil attached. The former can be 

 handled with the least danger from injury due to exposure and 

 other causes. 



11. The Pruning of the Planting Material 



A balance between the root system and the part of the plant 

 above the ground is maintained under natural conditions. As a 

 rule, only a part of the root system is secured when plants are 

 lifted in the nursery or as wild stock from existing woods. Many 

 of the smaller roots which constitute a large part of the absorbing 

 surface are broken off and left in the soil. When the trees are 

 planted there is always a more or less serious upsetting of the 

 natural balance between root and shoot. When the root system 

 is excessively reduced without a corresponding reduction of the 

 shoot surface, the plants are likely to suffer during dry periods 

 from the loss of water from the comparatively large shoot surface 

 which cannot be replaced by absorption through the roots. In 

 general, therefore, the more severely the root system is injured or cut 

 back in lifting the trees, the greater the necessity for pruning the tops 

 before planting. 



