310 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



surface soil is dry, as it invariably results in excessive loss. Ordi- 

 narily transplanting should begin as early in the spring as the 

 ground is in condition to work and be continued until new growth 

 starts. 



The greatest objection to autumn transplanting in most parts 

 of the United States is the loss due to the trees being thrown 

 out of the ground by the frost in early spring. Were it not for 

 this danger autumn transplanting in many localities would be 

 preferable to spring transplanting. Autumn transplants that sur- 

 vive winter damage start their growth much earlier than spring 

 transplants and make larger and more vigorous plants. When 

 there is danger that seedlings set in the transplant bed in the 

 autumn will be thrown by the frost, the beds should be lightly 

 mulched with leaves or straw. 



Although a limited period in the spring is usually the best time 

 for transplanting, large nurseries which transplant several million 

 trees yearly find it necessary to extend the transplanting over a 

 longer period. Thus, in many of the large nurseries at Hals- 

 tenbek, Germany, transplanting begins about the middle of Sep- 

 tember and ends the following August, but the best results are 

 obtained from the early spring transplanting. In many of the 

 small nurseries transplanting is confined to a period of about three 

 weeks in the spring just before the buds begin to start. If for 

 one reason or another the transplanting is not completed during 

 this period, it is deferred until the following year. 



43. The Transplanting Distance. The spacing in the trans- 

 plant bed should be governed by one or more of the following 

 considerations: 



a. The smaller the plants the closer the spacing. 



b. The longer the plants remain in the transplant bed the wider 

 the spacing. 



c. The more crown space required the wider the spacing. 



d. Light-demanding species require wider spacing than tolerant 

 ones. 



e. The spacing should become wider with each transplanting. 



Pettis 1 recommends that 2-year coniferous seedlings be trans- 

 planted in rows 6 inches apart and at a spacing of 4 inches in the 

 rows, when the plants are to remain in the transplant beds 2 



1 Pettis, C. R.: How to grow and plant conifers in the northeastern states. 

 (U. S. Forest Service, Bui. 76, p. 21. 1909.) 



