398 



SEEDING AND PLANTING 



As rapidly as the cuttings are made they are tied in bundles of 

 25 to 100, taking care to have them all tied with the upper end 

 of the shoot in the same direction. These bundles are then 

 buried in moist sand with the butts downward and firmly pressed 

 against the soil. They should be buried sufficiently deep to pro- 

 tect them from frost. 



When the wood is held over winter in storage the cuttings may 

 be made in late winter or early spring, placing them in water or 

 in damp moss until wanted for planting. In 

 preparing them for shipment they are usually 

 wrapped in damp moss. 



Under ordinary conditions they should be set 

 in the nursery or in the field in late spring. 

 In setting in the nursery they are put into V-- 

 shaped trenches, placing them from 1 to 3 inches 

 apart. The trenches are usually from 1 to Ij 

 feet apart to permit of cultivation. They should 

 be set nearly vertical in the soil, with only suffi- 

 cient slope to permit of easily and quickly firming 

 the soil about them. The uppermost bud should 

 be level with the surface. Only 1 bud should 

 be permitted to develop. This can be controlled 

 by rubbing off the remaining buds as the cut- 

 ting is set. If the lower end of the cutting has 

 become somewhat dry and a callus has not formed, 

 it should be slightly shortened by making a fresh 

 cut. 



After remaining in the nursery for a year, root 

 dibble for set- development has usually made sufficient progress 

 ting unrooted to warrant their transfer to their permanent posi- 

 tion in the field or forest. 



The cuttings of cottonwood are sometimes set in their perma- 

 nent location at once. When set in the field in unrooted condi- 

 tion, care should be taken that they are set with the uppermost 

 bud level with the surface and the soil firmly pressed about them. 

 They should never be forced into the ground as it injures the 

 cambium at the lower end of the cutting and interferes with 

 later growth. They should be set in holes or in furrows as in 

 ordinary planting or in small openings made with a planting iron 

 or special tool (Fig. 109) 



FIG. 109. Tread 



