406 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



base, thus permitting the ball to be removed, after which the 

 pressure is removed and the ball slips out. 



Various types of spades have been devised for lifting plants 

 with attached balls in the form of an inverted pyramid. The 

 ordinary spade with a straight cutting edge can be used. The 

 spade is thrust into the soil at a suitable distance from the plant 

 on each of the four sides. In inserting the spade, it is held so 

 that the cut gradually slopes toward the tree to be lifted. When 

 properly executed, the removed ball is in the form of an inverted 

 pyramid. The chief difficulty in the use of the ordinary spade is 

 in making the planting holes of the exact form to fit the pyramid- 

 shaped balls. 



The triangular spade, 1 which has a triangular cutting edge, 

 is more easily operated in lifting the plants without breaking the 

 ball. The pyramid-shaped ball is acceptable only for very small 

 or surface-rooted plants as it consists mostly of surface soil. 



In block planting, the stock is grown in carefully prepared 

 seedbeds or in large seed spots on the area to be regenerated. 

 When grown in seedbeds, the entire surface of the seedbed with 

 the contained plants is lifted in the form of small cone-shaped 

 or pyramid-shaped balls 5 or 6 inches in diameter, each of which 

 contains from 10 to 20 small plants. These are transported to 

 the planting site. Slowly growing conifers are suited best for this 

 method of lifting. The planting holes should be made of the 

 exact form to fit the ball as removed from the seedbed. This is 

 effected by using the same tool in making the hole that is used in 

 lifting the seedlings. 2 



8. PLANTING NAKED-ROOTED PLANTS 



Under all ordinary circumstances, naked-rooted plants are used 

 in forest planting. Although such plants suffer greater loss and 

 experience u greater interruption in growth, the lower cost due to 

 easier handling and transport more than compensates for the losses 

 and interruption of growth under most conditions of site and with 

 most kinds of stock. 



In all planting operations with naked-rooted plants, the size 



1 Heyer, Carl: Der Waldbau oder die Forstproduktenzucht. 5. Aufl., 1. 

 Bd., S. 321. Leipzig, 1906. 



2 Kozesnik, Moritz: Aus dem waldbaulichen Alphabete. (Centralblatt 

 f. d. gesamte Forstwesen, S. 161-163. 1894.) 



