386 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



fully as for corn where groves of 10 acres or less are to be set, and 

 to begin planting all the rows from the same side of the field, as the 

 slight deviation resulting from pressing the spade forward in plant- 

 ing will thus bring all the trees in even crossrows. Almost all seed- 

 ling forest trees can be set with a broad dibble or spade, which is 

 sunk blade deep at the cross mark, the soil pressed forward, the roots 

 so inserted as to avoid turning the tip upward, and the soil pressed 

 firmly about the collar with the feet, brushing a little loose dirt 

 over the pressed places to prevent baking. When planting in this 

 way, the seedlings can be carried in a pail with a little water or moist 

 earth. In mixed planting it will be found most convenient to set 

 all the trees of the prevailing species first, leaving the places for the 

 kinds that are to be used in smaller quantity to be planted after- 

 wards. Where two or three shade makers are used the same method 

 can be followed, or each kind may be handled by a different planter, 

 all working together. 



It is also desirable to take all the trees to the plat to be planted 

 and heel them in where they can be easily reached. Special care 

 should be taken to prevent the drying of the roots of conifers. 

 Where the roots are large and fibrous, it will be found best to dig 

 a hole for the trees, setting them in the same manner that orchard 

 trees are planted. Care should be taken to secure perfect alignment 

 in this method, as when the rows are irregular it is impossible to 

 bring the cultivator close to the trees. 



Exposure of roots. It occasionally happens in the West that 

 during the early summer, or after the leaves have dropped in the 

 fall, the surface soil will be blown away by the hard winds, exposing 

 the roots to the drying atmosphere. To prevent this, the trees should 

 be set an inch deeper than they grew in the nursery, and in autumn, 

 after the leaves have fallen, a shallow furrow should be turned to 

 the trees, so as to throw the dirt against the trunk. This can be 

 done with the shovel attachments of the ordinary wheel hoe, which 

 is one of the most useful implements that can be used in the young 

 tree plantation. 



Cultivation. The amount qf cultivation beneficial to young 

 trees can not be determined by freedom from weeds, nor by the 

 number of times the operation is performed. In seasons of pro- 

 longed drought frequent stirring of the surface soil will be found 

 of great benefit, as it will keep over the surface a layer of loose, fine 

 earth, which will quite effectively check evaporation from the moist 

 soil below. After rains the stirring of the surface soil will prevent 

 the formation of a crust which indicates the too rapid loss of water 

 from the soil. Weeds and grass should be kept out of the trees, 

 because they use the moisture that will be needed for tree growth. 

 Ordinary shallow cultivation will be found sufficient for annual 

 weeds including the Russian thistle, sunflower, and mustard if 

 begun early and continued regularly, but the only way to get rid 

 of the couch grass (Agropyrum repens) is to carefully dig out ita 

 underground stems and remove them. It is well to be on the watch 



