NURSERY PRACTICE ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 55 
ers, and 2 threaders) is usually employed; with the second board a 
crew of 2 men perform the operation. 
The " Mast board " is described in Volume X, No. 1, of the Forestry 
Quarterly, as follows: 
The planting board consists of a 5-inch board 6 feet 3 inches long with a 
handle attached in the middle and extending in the same plane as the surface 
of the board. On the lower edge a piece 11 inches wide is nailed flush with 
the back of the first board and its front edge beveled to about one-half inch 
in thickness. Into this edge 50 notches are sawed 1^ inches apart (when the 
trees are to be spaced \\ inches apart in the transplant beds), one notch 
falling three-fourth of an inch from either end of the board. These notches 
are slightly wider at the bottom than double the saw-kerf, or about one-eighth 
of an inch, and should be made smooth with emery cloth or a sharp knife and 
rounded at the outer edge to admit of threading the trees into them easily. 
Before sawing the notches the parts between them should be strengthened by 
driving one or two l|-inch brads through them. The inner parts of the notches 
are flush with the face of the vertical board, so that when the trees are 
threaded into the notches they lie flat against the face of this 5-inch board. 
A slat placed over them and fastened by two buttons holds the seedlings in 
place while the board is being carried from the threading table to the trench. 
A loop or binding of tin over one end of the board forms a pocket into which 
the end of the slat is placed before being buttoned down ; this helps to hold it 
and prevents it from slipping past the end of the board when placed on the 
trees. The slat fits loosely enough so that it does not crush the stems of the 
seedlings when it is buttoned down. The buttons are made with a slight bevel, 
so that when turned only partially over the slat they do not hold it so closely 
as when turned at right angles to it; this allows for handling both large and 
small stemmed seedlings with the same degree of efficiency. 
At the Bessey Nursery the slat which holds the seedlings in place 
is now fastened to the transplant board by means of leather hinges. 
With this scheme the binding of tin over one end is unnecessary. 
The " Michigan " planting board consists of a 6-inch board, 7 feet 
long and 1 inch or more in thickness, in which a row of one-fourth- 
inch holes are bored one-half inch from the edge at the interval of 
spacing desired in the transplant beds. A narrow, wedge-shaped slot 
is then cut from the edge into the hole and all rough edges and 
corners smoothed off. The point of the wedge is upward, so that any 
dirt that gets in the holes or slots may fall through without clogging 
and pulling out the seedlings when the board is removed. Before the 
slots are cut the edges of the board between them are reenforced with 
lath nails. 
Both of these boards are efficient, but each has some advantage over 
the other. The "Michigan board" has been used most extensively 
at the Wind River Nursery and has been constructed there at a 
cost of 37 cents. The " Mast board " is more complex, but it also is 
quite easy of construction and has been made for 56 cents at the 
Bessey Nursery. The " Mast board " can be used with any sort of 
