23 



SOURCE OF PLANTS. 



Where a good deal of planting is contemplated it may be cheapest 

 to raise the planting material in a local nursery. In most cases it 

 will probably be safer to patronize some reliable nurseryman. Or- 

 ders for plants should be placed early. It should be stated definitely 

 what kind and character of material is wanted, and no substitutes 

 should be accepted. Plants should be shipped by express, and notice 

 of the shipment should be given to the purchaser by telegraph in order 

 that he may promptly take them in charge when they arrive. They 

 should come tied in bundles, and well secured in a strong box, with 

 the roots wrapped in an abundance of moist sphagnum moss. Ke- 

 sponsible nurserymen attend to this matter with great care. Fail- 

 ures generally result from the drying out of the plants during 

 shipment. When once killed in this way no amount of subsequent 

 care and labor can save them. 



After the trees are received they should be kept cool, moist, and 

 well shaded until planted. If planting can not begin at once, it is 

 desirable to puddle and " heel in " the plants at some suitable place 

 where they can be taken up as needed.* 



THE NECESSARY OPERATIONS. 

 PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. 



Soil exposed for centuries to the beating of rain and the trampling 

 of animals has become hard and compact. No planting should be 

 attempted without a careful preparation. In new situations the 

 prairie sod should be broken early in the summer and allowed to lie 

 fallow. Late in the fall it should be turned again. This time plow- 

 ing should be at least a foot deep; the deeper the better, since then 

 the roots can penetrate into the subsoil and become independent of 

 surface moisture. Where the subsoil is clay hardpan, deep plowing 

 is doubly important. Disk harrowing should make the surface soft 

 and fine. 



MIXING SPECIES. 



The majority of the trees of this region have thin crowns and 

 demand a good deal of sunlight for their growth and development. 

 Foremost among these are cottonwood, green ash, and willow. 

 Spruce, red cedar, and boxelder have denser crowns, and are able to 

 bear a large amount of shade. 



If light- demanding trees are set out in pure plantations, they must 

 be so closely spaced that they interfere with each other's growth, or 



a For details on the establishment of nurseries see Extract 376 from Year- 

 book of the Department of Agriculture. 



J For instructions for puddling and heeling in see Forest Service Circular 61. 



[Cir. 145] 



