Pointers on Planting 



HIMALAYAN PINE is a broadly py- 

 ramidal tree that reaches a height of 

 120 to 150 feet. It grows rapidly and is 

 moderately long-lived. It is fairly re- 

 sistant to cold and drought. It is sus- 

 ceptible to a fungus twig canker but 

 highly resistant to white pine blister 

 rust. The rather sparse foliage is gray- 

 ish green. A handsome tree for large 

 yards, the Himalayan pine is not suit- 

 able for street planting. 



COMMON DOUGLAS-FIR grows mod- 

 erately fast to a height of 160 to 180 

 feet, and is long-lived. Its shade is of 

 medium density. It is fairly resistant to 

 cold and drought but not to wind. In 

 some localities, exposure to city condi- 

 tions has resulted in the slow decline 

 and eventual death of many trees of 



this species. Douglas-fir is more tolerant 

 of such unfavorable environments 

 when exposed to them from the 

 seedling stage; however, this species 

 seems generally to be more suitable for 

 country than for city use. Seed of local 

 origin should be used east of the Cas- 

 cade Range, where climatic extremes 

 are much greater than in the coastal 

 region and are likely to result in injury 

 to planting stock of nonlocal origin. 



Shore pine is valuable for windy sit- 

 uations in western Washington and 

 northwestern Oregon. 



T. W. CHILDS conducts research on 

 problems of forest and shade trees. He 

 is a member of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, Soils., and Agricultural En- 

 gineering, and is stationed in Portland. 



POINTERS ON PLANTING 



T. E. MAKI 



No home owner is too poor or busy 

 or inexperienced to let his yard go 

 treeless. Poor? he can use small trees, 

 which cost little, or he can dig up 

 wildings in the woods. Busy? he can 

 learn easily the techniques of plant- 

 ing trees rapidly. Inexperienced? he 

 can do a satisfactory job with a little 

 study and observation. 



He should first know something 

 about choosing a tree. 



ABOUT SIZE : Small trees recover so 

 quickly from transplanting that in a 

 few years they provide shade, effective 

 screening, windbreak, and modifica- 

 tion of vistas. No expenditure on the 

 home grounds increases the value of 

 the property so quickly and easily as 

 landscaping with young trees ; they are 

 an investment rather than an expense. 



We are here concerned with these 

 small specimens, that is, seedlings and 

 trees up to about 3 inches in diameter 

 of trunk, or up to about 15 feet in total 

 height. Practically all the steps in plant- 

 ing small trees apply to both shrubs 



and large trees, but the latter take 

 special equipment and skill and usually 

 cost more than owners care to spend. 



Next, trees must be adapted to the 

 climate and the soil of their new situa- 

 tion and be in harmony with the pur- 

 pose of the planting. 



For screens and windbreaks, it is 

 best to plant evergreens like the spruce, 

 hemlock, fir, cedar, juniper, holly, and 

 similar species that retain live branches 

 close to the base throughout their life. 



For shade in the yard, deciduous 

 trees (like birch, elm, mulberry, red 

 oak, sycamore, and willow) or ever- 

 greens (like Norway spruce; live oak; 

 Douglas-fir; white, ponderosa, pitch, 

 and loblolly pines) are suitable. In the 

 open, these species develop spreading 

 limbs and may be pruned from below 

 sufficiently to give good clearance. 



In places where species that attain 

 heights of only 40 to 50 feet at ma- 

 turity are adequate, it is unwise to 

 choose those that grow into giants of 

 100 feet or more. Later damage from 

 limb breakage and windthrow can 



