METHODS OF PLANTING. 



The best method of establishing a forest plantation is by the use 

 of nursery stock. Evergreens should be purchased from a commer- 

 cial nursery. It is often practicable, however, to raise hardwood 

 species in a home nursery. Advice in regard to nursery practice is 

 given in Extract 376 of the Yearbook of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, which can be had upon application to the Forester. 



Before the trees are set the ground should be worked thoroughly 

 and put in good condition. Where virgin sod exists it should be 

 broken and the land farmed for two or three years. Deep plowing, 

 followed immediately by the harrow, saves moisture and makes the 

 soil easily penetrable by the roots. 



Trees should be handled with the least possible exposure of the 

 roots, since the rootlets will dry out if exposed to the air for even a 

 short time. The roots of conifers are especially sensitive. If seed- 

 lings are received from a distance, they should be unpacked at once 

 and their roots dipped into a pail containing a thin mud. After this 

 the tree should be " heeled in " according to the following method : 



Dig a trench about 18 inches or 2 feet wdde, and deep enough to 

 bury the roots and part of the stems. The trench should run east 

 and west, with its south bank somewhat sloping. A layer of trees 

 should be placed in the trench on its sloping side, their tops toward 

 the south, and their roots and stems covered 2 or 3 inches deep with 

 fresh earth dug from the opposite side of the trench. A second layer 

 of trees should then be put in and covered as before and the process 

 repeated until all the trees have been heeled in. 



With conifers care should be taken not to bury the foliage and 

 either to choose a shady place for the young trees or to construct a 

 shade over them with brush or laths. 



The best time to plant young trees is just before growth begins in 

 the spring, when the seedlings are likely to receive the least injury. 

 In general, planting should be done as soon as possible after the frost 

 is out of the ground. The exact period will depend upon local 

 climate and soil conditions. 



In planting, the seedlings should be carried roots downward in a 

 pail containing several inches of water. The seedlings should be set 

 in furrows or in rows marked with a lister. In the latter case a 

 spade or mattock may be use- for opening the holes. The width and 

 depth of the hole depends on the character and size of the plant's 

 root system. It is of the greatest importance to press the earth firmly 

 about the roots, so that all the air spaces are filled. The soil should 



[Cir. 99] 



