, 1906-04-24
Sentiment for the Forest.

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one.
Sentiment for the Forest.
But eve when the planting has beer
well conceived and wisely carried out
there is often lacking, in work of thi!
nature, all reference to the larger as
pest. The mere act of setting a few
trees, without reference to the com
mercial utility and the protective value
of forests, is but a small part of the
work of the day.
The proper season for planting Is
not everywhere the same. South of the
thi~rty-seventh parallel, especially in
the more humid regions, fall planting
is perhaps preferable, but north of this
the winter m on SO quickly thai
the trees have scarcely time to devel
op roots strong enough to support them
until spring, and spring planting is
therefore more advisable.
Spring the Time to Plant.
The right time to nlant in spring is
when the ground has leased to freeze
and before budding begins. Ever
green's may be planted somewhat later
than hardwoods. The day to plant is
almost as important as the season,
Sunny, windy weather is very ~unfavor,
able; cool, damp days are the best.
For this reason it is well to leave the
date for Arbor day unhxed, so hat the
best opportunity may be chosen. Such
exercises rs r desired con follow
when tha DlantiDg iS done
Careful Selection of Trees.
The careful selection of trees for a
specific use and situation is essential
to success, and proper planting is
equally important. Though less fasti'
dious than agricultural crops in their
demands upon the soil, trees can not
be set in a rough soil at random ano
then expected to flourish. They should
be planted without allowing their roots
time to dry out from exposure to the
air.
How to Keep Trees.
When delay between procuring the
trees and their planting can not be
avoided, the roots must be kept moist
by standing them in a puddle" made
of earth and water mixed to the con,
sistency of cream, or "h%eeled-in' by
nearly burying them in fresh earth. In
setting the trees it is important to
place them about three inches deeper
than they stood originally, and to
spread out the roots and pack the soil
firmly about them. Two inches of soil
at the top should be left very loose, to
act as a mulch to retain the moisture.
Large Trees Not Always Best.
Large trees are by no mean always
the best to plant. Small seedlings may
be secured easily and cheaply, and are
much more likely to live. If these are
set out in good numbers after the pat
tern of a commercial plantation they
will become in due time a true forest
on a small scale.
If only a few trees are planted, as is
usually the case, it is still possible to
make plain the true relation of such
work to forestry. No matter how few
the trees, they may be made to illus.
trate planting for commercial or protec-
tive use.
Arbor Day Not Only Day.
Outside the scope of the actual plant
ing, 1t is well to bear in mind hat Ar.
Dor day is not the only day on which
trees deserve the intelligent thought
of the children. They need care
throughout the season. Watching the
plantation thrive under right treatment
greatly adds to the educational value
of the work, which otherwise leaves
but a slight impression.
1t is all-important that the plantation
should become a model of what can be
done along these lines. In after years
the children should be able to point