FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION 377 



lightly with soil. If left standing unprotected it will dry out and 

 injure the seed. 



The preparation of the planting area will be similar to that 

 described in previous pages. Where planting is to be done in sod it 

 will be necessary to cut away a square of sod. Planting the nut is 

 very simple and may be done with a sharp-pointed stick or dibble. 

 With this instrument a hole is made in the planting spot and the nut 

 dropped in. In loose soils the nut can be sufficiently covered by a 

 stamp of the heel. When the soil is heavy it may be necessary to 

 cover the nut by prodding with the dibble. The nut should be 

 planted deeper in loose than in heavy soils. The depth should be 

 irom two to three inches, depending upon the looseness of the soil. 



Planting Along Permanent Fences. The question of securing 

 fence posts at a reasonable rate and their short life after being placed 

 in the ground is a problem confronting the agriculturist. One solu- 

 tion of the problem may be found in planting trees along permanent 

 fences. In a short time it will be possible to attach the wires to these 

 trees. 



The trees can be planted every sixteen feet or even every eight 

 feet as the owner desires. Strong, vigorous plants should be chosen 

 for such work and in the case of using evergreens, transplants should 

 be used as the fence lines are frequently filled with dense grass and 

 weeds which will endanger the young plant. More attention can be 

 given the making of planting holes and the actual planting than in 

 the case of waste land planting. Where a rail fence now exists and 

 there is no chance to cultivate, the planting hole should be made by 

 cutting away a large sod about two feet square. Occasionally it may 

 be practical to cultivate a strip four to six feet wide along a fence 

 which can be moved a few feet after the trees have grown. Prepara- 

 tion of this strip by summer fallowing will give results in future tree 

 growth which will repay the effort. Whether planting is done in 

 planting holes or on a prepared strip, future cultivation will give best 

 results. This cultivation should be carried on for two years at least 

 longer will pay until the trees have become well established. It 

 will be an advantage to mulch the trees with grass or old manure. 

 The trees should be inspected during the summer to see that weeds, 

 etc., do not overshadow them. In case the owner does not want large 

 trees along cultivated fields, the first planting can be done every 

 sixteen feet and a few years later trees can be planted between. When 

 the first trees become too large they can be cut off the height of a 

 common fence post and later the fence can be attached to the 

 younger generation of trees as the older ones decay. 



This choice of species for this work must be given some consid- 

 eration. The fastest growing species will be Box Elder, Hardy 

 Catalpa, and Black Locust. In the best classes of fresh, moist soils 

 Hardy Catalpa may prove valuable for this purpose. Black Locust 

 will grow on the poorest of locations and will be of more general 

 value than Hardy Catalpa. Sugar Maple may be employed in this 

 work, although the growth will be slower than the preceding species 

 and it requires very good soil. Some may desire to plant nut pro- 



