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BULLETIN 475, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Up to the present this method has been followed only on the 

 Kansas and Nebraska National Forests ; it has proved rapid on both 

 and successful on the Nebraska (PL VII, fig. 1). The method, how- 

 ever, is limited in its scope. It can not be followed on very steep 

 hillsides, in soil that is rocky or filled with large roots, or on areas 

 covered with brush or considerable down timber ; and it is question- 

 able if it would be successful in very heavy soil. In short, the method 

 is not suitable for the greater proportion of the lands in the West on 

 which forest planting will have to be conducted. 



SQUARE OR DEEP-HOLE METHOD. 



A square hole seven or eight inches across and about a foot deep 

 is dug, either with a spade or a mattock ; and for utility in planting, 

 the soil removed is placed adjacent the hole (fig. 4). Properly, 



— Deep-hole method 



Fig. 4. — Deep-hole method. A, Digging hole ; B, partially cover roots with loose moist 

 dirt ; C, tamp dirt firmly about roots before filling hole full ; D, place objects about 

 tree to prevent erosion and trampling. 



the soil removed should be kept in two separate piles; the moister, 

 richer soil of the upper layer in one pile, and the lower subsoil in 

 the other. The depth of the holes depends upon the size of the stock ; 

 they should be deep enough so that the roots may hang straight down 

 in their natural position when the tree is set at the same depth as in 

 the nurserj 7 . The tree is held by the root stock with the fingers 

 between the different ramifications of the roots so as to spread them 

 apart. This is done with the left hand, while the dirt is filled in with 

 the right. The moist, better soil is first drawn in over the roots and 

 packed well around them with the fist; then the remainder of the 

 soil is thrown in and part of it well packed, a portion lying on top 

 being left loose to serve as a mulch. On slopes, the aim should be to 

 leave the surface of the soil at the same angle as the slope of the 

 planting site instead of leaving a depression in the soil. Where a 

 depression is left, soil from above is apt to wash into it, or leaves may 



