74 AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 
The empty board is placed by the planter upon the table in front of the 
threader, opened up. The threader pulls it towards him with his right 
hand, taking a bunch of seedlings from the packet above the table with his 
left. The seedlings are worked forward with the fingers of that hand, and 
placed in the board with the right. 
A poor tree is culled before it is dropped in the board, if seen before 
doing so. If not, it is left in place, but a good plant is put alongside it. When 
the board is finished it is closed, and pushed with one hand in one movement 
down the trap slide ready for the planter, who, approaching from the back, 
puts his empty board on the table, and takes the full one to plant. Only the 
two boards are used per crew. 
The planter walks to the trench, and facing the land slide, sets the board 
on the edge of it, tilting it slightly backwards. He then takes the specially 
designed planter’s rake (see illustration) and scrapes the loose dirt against 
the board, packing it firmly as he walks along it and back again. He throws 
the rake ahead a little in readiness for the next trip, and opens and lifts the 
board, leaving the seedlings planted. He then returns to the threading table 
for- another board. 
The number of seedlings planted is tallied at the end of each day by 
counting the rows. The following morning the threader and the planter are 
given a time-sheet, showing the work done the previous day. 
Threaders and planters are paid on a sliding scale. 
Each spring before the scale is used, various men on the nursery force are 
tried out, and those best suited to the work are chosen. Generally, boys 
make the best threaders, and short husky men the best planters. 
The wage scale in 1915 was— 
Boards per hour. Wages per day 
of 8 hours. 
s. d. 
36 ais oe es a sie Li 5) 
37 =e sia de oe .. 11 10 
38 ey sity — ssh vs 12 1 
39 ar se ve i .. 12 4 
40 ue aks sists ee .. 12 6 
41 seis ey ee 3 we 12 6 
42 fe ad ten ig .. 12 9 
43 533 = oe ex .» 12 1] 
44 Me bes he ae wee dhe? 1 
45 ie se sds ed .. 138 4 
46 ve 333 ba a . 13 6 
47 sie re ay aa . 13° 9 
48 — me sib vs at “tO 
49 shea nee i ese .. 14 8 
50 a stb on wk .. 14 4 
The record was 64 per hour for two hours. Under normal conditions 
on a 2,000,000 job, the crews will average 40 boards per hour each. 
From these wages, the men pay 1s. a meal—the actual cost. 
Transplanting costs in all 3s. 2d. per 1,000. 
