412 



SEEDING AND PLANTING 



FIG. 119. A plantation of 1-year Scotch pine planted at 18-inch intervals 

 in rows about 4 feet apart. Near Eberswalde, Prussia. 



dibble, planting peg, and Buttlar's planting iron cannot be used to 

 make openings to a depth greater than from 5 to 8 inches. The 

 planting staff is a much heavier tool. Even in resistant soil it can 

 be forced downward with little effort. The Wartenberg planting 

 staff 1 is one of the best of this type of tools. It weighs from 12 

 to 14 pounds and is made of iron with the exception of the cross- 

 bar handle. The heavy iron head is pointed, 4-sided, and about 

 10 inches in length. The entire tool is approximately 36 inches 

 long. In its operation, the workman stands upright, raises the 

 point of the tool a foot or two above the soil and quickly thrusts 

 it downward. 



The author has found this tool most suitable for planting oak 

 and other deep-rooted trees, particularly species with long and 

 heavy tap roots and poorly-developed laterals. It works best 

 on loam or sandy soils. When the soil is heavy it is almost im- 

 possible to close the opening about the roots properly. The 

 rapidity with which the plants can be set depends chiefly upon 

 the compactness of the soil and its freedom from roots and stones. 



1 Heyer, Carl.: Der Waldbau oder die Forstproduktenzucht. 5. Aufl., 

 1. Bd., S. 349. Leipzig, 1906. 



