30 BULLETIN 475, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



fers to mortal injury through the drying out of their roots. A short 

 period of exposure may bring this about, such as when they are dug 

 from the transplant beds, while they are being counted or heeled in, 

 while en route to the planting site, or during the operation of plant- 

 ing. Drying out may occur at any one of these times; and yet if 

 the roots are afterwards moistened there will be no evidence of the 

 injury, because coniferous tops will remain fresh, green, and bright 

 for some time after the death of the roots, and will reach the hands 

 of a planter apparently in a perfectly vigorous condition. When 

 field planted, however, they will lose their color and shed their leaves 

 in a month or so. 



When the crated trees arrive at their destination on the railroad 

 they should be removed at once to the planting site. Wagon trans- 

 portation is the most effectual over roads and pack animals over 

 trails. When it is necessary to use pack animals the practice of 

 unpacking the trees from the crates and repacking them in the ordi- 

 nary alforjas or panniers carried on pack saddles should not be fol- 

 lowed. This involves an extra handling of the stock, which means 

 both expense and possible harm from exposure. It is a practice 

 which should be discouraged. It can easily be obviated by packing- 

 trees at the nursery in boxes of a size which can be readily carried 

 by a pack horse ; that is, boxes which, when filled with trees, will not 

 weigh more than 75 or 100 pounds each. While en route the crates 

 should be covered to protect them from the sun and wind. 



On arrival at the planting site, the trees should be heeled in (PL 

 VIII, fig. 2) . This is a simple but effective means of keeping the roots 

 moist. In a cool, moist, shady situation a trench is dug about the 

 depth of the spade, from 10 to 12 inches, with one of its sides slant- 

 ing at an angle of about 45 degrees. Against this side a layer of 

 trees is placed with their tops projecting above the surface of the 

 ground and their roots extending down this slanting side to the bot- 

 tom of the trench. From 4 to 6 inches of moist earth should then 

 be thrown against the roots, worked in around the stems, and then 

 firmed by foot pressure. If needed, another trench can be dug in 

 front of this and the process repeated. If it is necessary for the 

 stock to remain heeled in for a considerable period, the soil about the 

 roots should be kept moist by watering. Ordinarily, the trees can 

 be heeled in in bundles as they come from the nursery, but it is 

 preferable at all times to spread them out in a thin layer not over 1 

 or 2 inches in thickness. As they are needed they can be dug up and 

 used in the planting operations. When plants are to be heeled in 

 during the fall to await spring planting, experience has shown that 

 they should never be heeled in in bundles, but should by all means be 

 spread out in a thin layer. Moreover, where the snow accumulates 

 to a considerable depth, stock heeled in over winter should be so 



