ESTABLISHING FORESTS BY PLANTING 



409 



The ordinary garden dibbles and planting pegs are too small and 

 blunt-pointed for field planting in forestry practice. The straight- 

 handled dibble terminating in a knob is difficult to use without 

 tiring or blistering the hand except when the soil is loose and open. 

 The spade-handle dibble is slightly better, but the best forms 

 for effective use are the pistol-grip and the T-grip. The cross 

 section of the opening made with the ordinary forms of dibble is 

 circular. Special forms of the dibble are sometimes used in forest 

 planting which make the opening triangular or semi-circular in 

 cross section. 1 These special forms are often called planting 

 daggers (Fig. 115). The Spitzcnberg three-edged planting dagger, 



FIG. 115. Types of planting daggers. 



a. Knob-grip planting dagger. c. Pistol-grip planting dagger. 



b. T-grip planting dagger. 1-3. Cross sections of openings. 



one of the best of this class of implements, has all of the advan- 

 tages of the dibble, is easier to manipulate in making the opening 

 and permits of closing the orifice more quickly after the plant is 

 inserted and of bringing the soil into closer contact with the roots. 



In planting with the dibble, it is inserted vertically into the soil 

 and then withdrawn. A plant held between the forefinger and 

 thumb of the right hand is inserted in the opening, care being 

 taken that the roots hang vertically downward. The tool is rein- 

 serted in a slanting position a few inches from the original insertion 



1 Schlich, Wm. : Manual of forestry. 4th ed., vol. II, p. 223. London, 1910. 



