24 BULLETIN 149 7, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE 
able to remove the sod before the hole is dug and, after the tree is 
planted, to fill the hole with soil. The hole method is adapted to all 
species and sites, since the mattock and grub hoe can be used on 
both rocky situations and sandy areas, while the spade works effec- 
tively in sand or sod. 
HOLE METHOD IN FURROWS 
Furrows may also be used effectively in combination with the 
hole method, the trees being planted in mattock or spade holes in 
the bottoms of the furrows. In heavy sod, ploughed furrows make 
it unnecessary to spend time removing sections of sod with the mat- 
tock or spade. 
DIRECT FURROW PLAJSTTHSTG 
Recently a method has been suggested (28) by which the trees are 
planted directly in plowed furrows. This has been as successful as 
the mattock-hole method in New Jersey on abandoned fields. The 
roots are spread out in the bottom while the stem is held against 
the side of the furrow. Loose soil is then pulled over the roots and 
firmed with hand or foot and a layer of loose soil added on top. 
This method should be quick, cheap, and easily practiced by 
unskilled labor. 
SLIT METHOD 
In the slit method, a planting bar, spade, or mattock is used. The 
planting bar consists of a steel wedge 8 to 12 inches long, 3 to 4 inches 
wide, and three-eighths of an inch thick at the top, on a galvanized- 
iron bar with or without a grip handle and a step attachment. The 
bar is driven vertically into the soil with a single stroke to the depth 
required, pushed forward to an angle of 45°, slipped slightly down- 
ward to take a new hold at the bottom of the hole, and finally brought 
back to a nearly perpendicular position. This forms a rectangular 
slit into which the roots of the plant are lowered. The roots are 
shaken out and the slit is closed by another thrust of the bar behind 
the plant. The planter then closes this last hole — to prevent exces- 
sive drying of the ground near the roots — by a thrust of his heel as 
he steps forward. 
The details of this method have been studied and developed on the 
Huron National Forest to a high degree of excellence, which is 
attested by the effectiveness and low cost of the planting. The 
method has been criticized because all the roots are placed in one 
plane, but investigation has shown that the roots grow evenly in all 
directions in the sand soon after planting. It is better adapted to 
loose than to heavy, sticky soils. It is also better suited to small 
stock than to large stock with bushy roots. 
When a spade is used, experience on the Chippewa National Forest 
shows that the best results are obtained by pulling the spade toward 
one when it is first driven into the ground, then driving it a little 
further into the ground and pushing it away. The tree is then 
placed in the corner of the hole between the two solid walls, and the 
dirt is well packed about the roots. The method can be used advan- 
tageously in underplanting. It is not well adapted to a planting 
area which is heavily covered with sod, because the newly set trees 
