416 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



used to compress the soil further and bring it into closer con- 

 tact with the roots. In planting operations on a large scale it is 

 difficult to supervise the work properly. The root mass is likely 

 to be bent in the form of the letter U, with the root tips out of 

 the ground. Even at best, the roots are spread out in a single 

 plane. This method of planting is practical only on sandy soil 

 free from stones and roots and on sites free from grass and other 

 herbaceous vegetation. Three men working together, two making 

 and closing the slits and inserting the trees, while the third man 

 carries them, can, under favorable conditions, plant from 3000 to 

 5000 trees per day. When planting on dry sites, shallow furrows 

 are usually turned and the slits opened in the bottom. This 

 method has been used in the United States, particularly in the 

 Kansas and Nebraska sand hills. 1 



Where the soil is covered with a more or less continuous sod or 

 is sufficiently stiff to hold together, the British method of notch- 



FIG. 123. T-notching with the ordinary spade. 



ing with the ordinary spade may be practiced 2 (Fig. 123). The 

 spade is inserted vertically to the depth of 8 or 10 inches. It is 

 then withdrawn and again inserted at right angles to the first 

 insertion so as to form a T-shaped opening. By bending the 

 spade backward a notch is opened. When sufficiently wide, the 

 plant is inserted and the spade withdrawn. The earth settles in 

 about the roots of the plant and is pressed down with the foot. 

 When properly done and when the stock is not too large, rapid 

 planting can be accomplished. Two men working together, one 

 operating the spade and the other inserting the plants, can plant 

 from 2000 to 2500 trees per day. This method permits the 

 planting at suitable depth, in an upright position, and with the 



1 Bates, C. G. and Pierce, R. G.: Reforestation of the sand hills of Kansas 

 and Nebraska. (U. S. Forest Service, Bui. 121, p. 40. 1913.) 



2 Schlich, Wm.: Manual of forestry. 4th ed., vol. II, p. 227. London, 1910. 



