10 REFORESTATION IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



REFORESTATION. 



How Trees should be planted. 



HEELING IN. 



When trees have been properly handled at the nursery they 

 will arrive in good condition, packed in damp moss and tied 

 in bundles of 25, 50 or 100, depending on the size and species. 

 Scotch and Austrian pine are more bulky, as a rule, than 

 white pine and spruce. The trees should be heeled in as soon 

 as possible after their arrival. This requires the digging of a 

 trench about 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep, and laid out as 

 nearly as possible east and west. If only a few trees are in- 

 volved in the shipment, and planting can be accomplished in 

 a few hours' time, no trench will be necessary. It is advisable 

 to first cover the roots with a light layer of earth, pour on a 

 few pails of water, and then cover thoroughly with earth, 

 leaving the tops exposed to light and air. Care should be 

 taken not to cover any portion of the needles with earth, and 

 in the event of dry weather the trees should be watered daily. 

 A covering of burlap or paper will protect them from excessive 

 heat, and will hold back the buds until the trees can be planted. 

 One thousand trees require a trench about 12 feet long. 



REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANTING. 



We have experimented with various kinds of planting in- 

 struments, such as planting irons, bars, spades, etc., and find 

 that the grub-hoe, or mattock, is the most practical instrument 

 for all kinds of soil. Some of our foremen prefer the double- 

 headed mattock, which on one side resembles an axe, and on 

 the other an adz. The axe is used for cutting out a square 

 hole in the sod or leaf-mold approximately 1 foot square, and 

 the adz-like edge for lifting out the earth to a depth of 6 to 

 8 inches. The average man prefers the single-bladed adz-like 

 mattock, similar to the one shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The most 

 efficient crew consists of two men, one to make the holes and 

 the other to do the planting. The trees are carried in a pail, 

 which should be kept about half full of a mixture of water and 



