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Show PUNTING TREES ON FOREST IN THE OGDEN DISTRICT With the total raintall during dur-ing the crowing season considerable above the normal, and favorable spring weather, which permitted a large amount of early spring planting plant-ing the tree planting in District No. I of the forest service was more successful suc-cessful in 1913 than any previous' year. At the end of the growing sea-j son reports were received from the supervisors of the thirteen forests on' which planting was done as to the number of plants then living. This varied with different classes of stock, being relatively higher, 8t per cent,' l for the plants which had grown one I year in the seed bed and two vcars transplanted than for any of the five I other classes of planting stock used, j For the plants grown two years in the seed bed but not transplanted, of which more was used than any other, 82 per cent survived the first season sea-son and the same percentage of the plants four years old. having been grown two years in the seed bed and two years as transplants. Of each, the two years in seed bed and one year transplanted, and also three years in the seed bed and two years transplanted, trans-planted, 78 per cent survived the first summer, while of the three year old not transplanted the num ber living at the end of the fall was 70 per cent Good Prospects for 1914. Forest Examiner James M. Fether-olf, Fether-olf, who has charge of the planting work In this district, states that the prospects are excellent this spring both as to moisture and weather conditions. con-ditions. At the Pocatello nurspry, where a an altitude of 5200 feet it is possible to begin work from two to three weeks earlier than at the two Wasatch forest nurseries whose altitude alti-tude is above 7000. distribution of planting stock has been begun. From tliis nursery, of yellow pine. 10,000 are to be shipped to the Cache forest, for-est, at Logan, 25,000 to the Weiser. 10,000 to the Sawtooth at Halley, and 5000 to the Minidoka at Oakley; of Douglas fir 42.600 are to be shipped to the Cache, making a total of 88, GOO to that forest and a total spring distribution dis-tribution from the Pocatello of 128, 600 plants. From the Cottonwood nursery, 60,-000 60,-000 Douglas fir and 10,000 blue spruce plants will be taken for planting on the Wasatch forest From the Beaver creek nursery. 10,000 lodgepole pine and 65,000 yellow pine plants will be taken for planting on the Wasatch Five hundred and forty thousand yellow yel-low pine plants will be shipped from this nurserv to the following forests: Cache. 75.000; Flshlake, 141,000; Mantl, 124,000; Uinta, 100.000; Weiser, Weis-er, 50,000; Minidoka, 50.000. Forty-five thousand yellow pine and 20,000 Douglas fir plants grown in the Flower nursery will be planted near by In the Sawtooth forest. How the Trees Are Planted. The favorite planting tool is a J double-bitted mattock with blades 10 inches long and with this, by the common com-mon method, the hole is dug and the clods pulverized; the little tree Is then Inserted and the dirt firmed about It. An average of 700 trees, properly prop-erly planted, is a good dav's work for two men, and, when working in pairs, one man digs the holes while the J other carries and plants the trees They usually exchange work ocea Bionally. Good records for speed have also been made by large crews working in five-man crew teams. Two men dig holes, cmo man places the trees In the holes and two men following fol-lowing spread out the roots and firm the dirt about them. Tho so-called "slit method" of planting plant-ing used exclusively on the Targhee forest for three successive years with good results, was introduced last fall on a less extensive scale on the Minidoka. Mini-doka. Pocatello and Mantl forests. The results of this planting will be close ly observed and compared with plant ing done bj the old method. Besides being cheaper it has advantages on ac-I ac-I count of which it may become advisable advisa-ble to adopt it generally especially where the soil Is deep, of fine texture and free from boulders The hoe man, with one stroke, driver, the mattock Into the soli up to the handle, then, with an upward pry, he lifts the soil and draws it toward himself, thu6 creating an opening several sev-eral inches wide ahead of the mar-tock. mar-tock. The planter Inserts a heavily puddled plant into this opening which operation ts facilitated by a quarter twist of the stem of the plant. He albo pushes the top to the side of the mattock thus bringing the tree into an upright position and away from the foot In firming The mattock mat-tock is then withdrawn and the soil naturally falls Into place It is firmed firm-ed by the heel of the digger, while the planter sets a tree for an adja cent digger. In this way one man carries car-ries the trees and plants for two dig gers. Any sod or litter is removed before the mattock is driven into the soil. The average cost of planting In this district, including the expense of growing the tree and their transpor tation to the planting site. Is from $10 to $12 per acre, with an average of 800 trees to the acre, or from $13 to $15 per 1000 trees. Growing the Plants in the Nursery. As soon as the spring shipping has been completed, the work oi preparing prepar-ing and planting the seed beds at the nursery will be begun. In the case of western yellow pine, this is largely done In the fall. The seed does not germinate until spring, but is then ready and appears from 3 to 4 weeks earlier than the seed sown in the spring, thus taking advantage of the early excellent molBture conditions, and gaining a longer growing season. The seed, which was formerly planted in drills, Is now sowed broadcast, and this Is a most particular task, requir-j requir-j ing skill and experience. Having calculated the exact amount of seed necessary to produce the number of plants desired the bed6 are marked off so that by gauging the amounts of seed to the many small compartments, compart-ments, even sowing is obtained. The seed is covered by scattering fine dirt over the beds and this is sometimes raked lightly, and firmed by rolling Lath screen providing half shade is required for fir. spruce and lodgepole pine, but not for yellow pine. The seeding of small compartments with a given quantity oi seed Is essential es-sential even with a nurseryman of long experience, because of the different dif-ferent size of the seed used, as well as different percentage of seeds, from year to year, that will not sprout For example, of the Engelmann spruce there are 69.000 seeds to the pound of which 64 1-2 per cent of the quantity quan-tity to be sowed this spring are fertile. fer-tile. Of the yellow pine seed from northeast Utah there are 19,000 seeds to the pound, of which only 36 1-2 per cent can, according to previous test ing of seed, be expected to produce trees. The yellow plno seed from the Payette forest in central Idaho, is larger, however, there being 12,000 seos to the pound, of which 43 1-2 per cent are fertile. Next smaller in size is Douglas fir seed which runs from 29,000 to 40.000 seeds per pound, the Engelmann spruce and lodgepote pine are Bomewhat similar In size, running run-ning from 70,000 to a little over 100.-000 100.-000 seeds to the pound The sturdiest plants are required to endure the protracted periods of summer sum-mer In which there is no rain, as well as the action of frost and other hardships hard-ships of winter. Since a tree depends de-pends much upon its roots to gather plant food In soluble form from the ground, a thrifty growth of roots is essential, and these can be stimulated by transplanting. When the little trees are one or two years1 old, they are taken out and "threaded" In to notches in a long board and then carried car-ried and placed in almost exact spacing spac-ing in a "transplant bed" Much of the nursery work and th handling of trees in planting requirps deftness of touch and agile fingers, and in such work careful boys and girls and women often excel the men. Boys are frequently employed but while women are employed expensively expensive-ly In the nurseries of Europe, thev have, not as yet been engaged in this work in the American forest service. |