320 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



Transplanting boards in which a thin board or lath fits down 

 over the plants after they are placed in the notches are superior to 

 boards fitted with a string, as the plants are more securely held in 

 place during the transplanting. In recent years a number of 

 transplanting boards of this type have been constructed in the 

 United States. 



The one described by Mast 1 is 6 feet 3 inches long, 5 inches 

 wide and 1 inch thick, with a handle attached in the middle and 

 a piece of wood 1^ inches wide nailed flush with the back of the 

 board at the lower edge so as to project beyond the front. 

 V-shaped notches are cut into this projection at from 1- to 3- 

 inch intervals depending upon the spacing. When the trees are 

 threaded into these notches the tops lie flat against the face of 

 the board with the roots projecting beyond the lower edge. A 

 thin, narrow slat is placed over the seedlings just above the 

 notches and fastened by two buttons. This serves to hold the 

 plants in place while transplanting. 



In operating this board the transplanting crew usually con- 

 sists of 5 or 6 men. Two or 3 men thread the seedlings in the 

 transplant boards and bring them to the planters, 1 or 2 make 

 the trenches with the spade or trencher, and 2 set the trees 

 in the trenches and fill in about them. The division of labor 

 depends upon the size of the plants and the relative ease with 

 which the soil can be worked. 



Mast reports that an experienced crew of 6 men can trans- 

 plant with this board 2-year coniferous seedlings at the rate of 

 from 25,000 to 35,000 in a working day of 8 hours. 



The Yale transplanting board was constructed and first used 

 by the author 2 in 1907 (Fig. 86). This board has since been 

 introduced into many of the larger forest nurseries in the United 

 States and Canada and is now more generally used than any 

 other in this country. The board as usually made is 6 feet long 

 and 6 inches wide with notches for the reception of the plants along 

 the lower edge. It is fitted with 2 hinged handles. A thin 

 board 6 feet long and 3 inches wide is attached to the upper end 

 of the handles and swings down and holds the plants in place 



1 Mast, W. H.: New tools for transplanting conifers. (Forestry Quarterly, 

 vol. X, p. 5. 1912.) 



2 Tourney, J. W.: The Yale transplanting board. (Forestry Quarterly, 

 vol. IX, p. 539. 1911.) 



