Part 2
of the winter frequently exhausts the moisture of firmly rooted young trees, and kills them. This is due to the fact that the frozen roots can not supply moisture to the stem as rapidly as it is given off from the twigs exposed to the cold, dry winds. A newly transplanted tree is placed at a much greater disadvantage during the winter season than a tree whose roots have a hold upon the soil. Spring planting is therefore advisable in almost every case. If the tree to be moved is so large that it is necessary to curtail the root system very severely, the work of digging should begin early in the fall, permitting a bal! of frozen earth to adhere to the roots to protect them while the tree is being removed late in the winter. Forest plantations, however, should be made with quite small trees, and the methods of handling them may be very simple. As a rule, deciduous trees should not be over 2 feet high and evergreen trees not over 8 or 10 inches. Farmers more often make the mistake of planting trees that are too old than those that are too young. Any addition to the height of a deciduous tree after it has attained one full year’s growth is a drawback for planting, because increased size diminishes the chances for success- fully transplanting it and increases the labor of the operation. By establishing a home nursery close to the planting site the disad- SETTING OUT TREES. 13 yantages of shipment may be avoided, some expense saved, and the time for planting considerably extended. The last point is often of importance because it may be inconvenient to drop other work to give a shipment of trees the immediate attention that they require. Home- grown stock can be left in the nursery until a favorable opportunity for setting out the trees occurs.* It is always well to choose a wet or cloudy day for transplanting, but if the work must be done in dry weather the nursery beds or trenches should be thoroughly soaked a few days before moving the — trees. | , When a tree is removed from the ground its roots should be imme- diately plunged into a mixture of earth and water about as thick as cream. This mixture is known as “ puddle,” and is one of the most important requisites to successful tree planting. The pud- dle may be prepared in a large tub and drawn on a sled along the row where the digging is in progress. HEELING IN. If seedlings are received from a distance, the boxes should be opened immediately, the trees unpacked, and their roots dipped into a puddle. After this the trees should be “ heeled in ” according to the following method until ready to be planted in the field. (See fig. 1.) Dig a trench big enough to bury the roots and part of the stems. The trench should run east and west, with its south bank at a slope of about 30 degrees to the surface of the ground. A layer of trees should be placed in the trench on its sloping side, their tops toward the south. A second trench should then be dug, covering the roots and stems with the fresh earth from this trench, and so on until all the trees have been heeled in. In case of conifers care should be taken not to bury the foliage and to shade the young trees with brush or with a shelter constructed of laths. 4 Bulletin No. 29, The Forest Nursery, gives much valuable information on this subject, and may be obtained by addressing The Forester, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Fic. 1.—Heeling in young trees. 14 ADVICE FOR FOREST PLANTERS IN OKLAHOMA. PLANTING DECIDUOUS TREES. Deciduous trees may be planted in lster furrows, as later described. In this region it is always advisable, previous to planting, carefully to till the whole area to be planted, except where the soil is so sandv that it will blow about if disturbed. When the young tree is finally set the stem should be buried 2 or 3 inches deeper than it was in the nursery, and in this region it 1s always desirable to leave a slight depression around the base of the tree to collect moisture. In many cases the planter will find it entirely practicable to plant the seed of oaks, hickories, and walnuts in the permanent site rather than to buy the trees or grow them in a nursery. The nuts may be put into the ground in the fall or kept over and planted in the spring, as is most convenient. They should be spaced the same as trees from the nursery and covered with from 1 to 3 inches of earth. Planta- tions thus made should be well cultivated until the young trees be- come established. The ripe seeds of many trees are often infested with the larve of insects, which, if allowed to remain alive for a few weeks, will destroy the germs. Acorns, chestnuts, and pecan nuts are especially subject to this trouble, though hickory nuts suffer less. The seeds of locust, mesquite, coffeetree, various pines, and other conifers are also apt to be attacked. In order to save infested seed, it should be treated with carbon bisulphid gas as soon as possible after it 1s ripe. Instruc- tions for doing this are given in Farmers’ Bulletin No. 145, prepared by the Bureau of Entomology, which may be had upon request directed to the Department of Agriculture. Various directions for destroying nut weevils are also given in the Yearbook of the Depart- ment of Agriculture for 1904. PLANTING BY HORSEPOWER. A very rapid and inexpensive method of planting by the aid of horsepower has been successfully employed on well-tilled land in the prairie States. This method is suitable for broadleaf species only, and the best results and greatest economy require the services of 10 men, 4 boys, and 5 horses. The implements necessary are 10 spades, % buckboards, 4 empty barrels, 1 lister, and 1 wheel cultivator. One or two additional spades or shovels should be placed where the trees are heeled in, as a reserve in case any of the 1mplements are broken. One man with a lister and three horses furrows out the rows ahead of the planters. In two hours he can furrow out enough ground to keep the whole force at work five hours. The trees are planted in the bottoms of the furrows in openings made with a spade at right angles to the furrows. Two men work together, each on a row, to whom a boy hands the trees from barrels containing water or “ pud-