NURSERY PRACTICE ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 53 
TRANSPLANT TOOLS. 
Dibble. — A dibble is a round or dagger-shaped, straight steel tool 
with a blade about 7 inches long and from J to 1 inch wide and 
usually provided with a handle. Its use is described later. 
Trenching tools. — Spade : For opening the trench in the transplant 
bed to receive the seedlings the spade is most commonly used and is 
the best all-around tool for the purpose. With it, either a wedge- 
shaped trench or an excavation one side of which is vertical and the 
other sloping can be made. Moreover, it is better adapted to a 
variety of soils and for digging the trench to any desired depth than 
other tools. 
Hand trencher : The hand trencher is described as follows in Vol- 
ume X, No. 1, of the Forestry Quarterly: 
The hand trencher consists of two plates of steel 7 inches wide and 26 inches 
long, welded together along one edge and drawn out to a thin cutting blade. 
The opposite edges of these plates are separated about 1 inch, allowing space 
into which three pieces of f-inch pipe, slightly flattened, are inserted and 
riveted. One piece of pipe is inserted in the center and the other two at 2£ 
inches from the ends of the plates. All are brought together in a cross or 
four-way pipe connection, 8 inches above the plates. Into the upper opening 
of the cross a piece of pipe 20 inches long is fitted, supporting a toe into which 
6-inch pieces of pipe are screwed forming a complete T-handle. To obviate 
a second bending of the pieces which extend from the ends of the blade to 
the handle, nipples and angle connections may be used. The trencher weighs 
from 18 to 24 pounds, depending on the thickness of steel used in the blade, 
and should be made by any blacksmith at a cost of from $3 to $5. 
To make a trench the trencher is put in proper position and weight put on 
it by placing the foot on the top of the blade. The operator then works the 
handle to and from his body as the blade sinks into the soil, making a trench 
about 2h inches wide at the top and any desired depth depending upon the 
length of the roots of the seedlings to be transplanted. For a planting board 
6 feet or 6 feet 3 inches long the trencher must be set into the bed three times 
in the same line. A 36-inch trencher requires two men to handle it while one 
man can handle a 26-inch implement. This tool leaves a trench with smooth 
sides and can be used very satisfactorily in almost any nursery soil. 
This hand trencher was devised by Mr. William H. Mast for use 
at the Bessey Nursery, where the soil is very sandy, light, and easily 
worked. Here this tool has given very good satisfaction. It un- 
doubtedly will do likewise in any other nursery where the soil is 
light, loose, and free of rocks and debris. It is also used successfully 
in the rather heavy soil of the Monument Nursery. There the tool 
used is only 12 inches wide and 8 inches high and has a wooden 
instead of a pipe handle. One very decided advantage which the 
trencher has is that the operation of opening up each trench in a bed 
packs the dirt firmly around the preceding transplanted row of seed- 
lings and thus counteracts carelessness in this respect by the planter. 
Broadax : The broadax has been used for trenching, but is unsatis- 
factory. The cleft style of trench only can be made with this tool 
