278 Oil the Planting of Forest-Trees. 



others. It succeeds best in valleys and in sandy soils, and will 

 often grow to a great height even on those which are very poor. 



Nursery Management. 



In planting upon a small scale, it will perhaps be found most 

 economical to purchase plants from a nurseryman at the time they 

 are wanted \ and even where larger designs are undertaken, it will 

 be quite as much so to purchase seedlings of the pine tribe, and 

 plant them in the nursery till they are fit for their ultimate desti- 

 nation. To those who are, however, desirous of rearing their own 

 plants, the following directions will suffice. 



The situation of a liursery should be chosen in a sheltered spot, 

 either within the limits or as near as possible to the land it is in- 

 tended to supply with trees, and, if possible, near a spring or rill 

 of water. The soil should be a loam or sand, and should in every 

 respect receive the preparation of a well-cultivated garden ; by 

 draining, if wet; trenching, manuring, and also by liming, if the 

 land abound with rough vegetable matter, or is not calcareous. It 

 should then be cultivated for garden produce, which will bring it 

 into fine condition for the reception of forest plants. In the in- 

 terim, that no^time may be lost, temporary seed-beds might be 

 formed in a common garden, to supply the first transplanting. 

 However this be, the place selected for the seed-beds should be 

 the most favoured part of the nursery-ground, open to the south, 

 and well defended from bleak winds. The beds for the pine 

 tribe should not exceed 3 feet wide, in order to afford a facilit}^ of 

 weeding the plants with the hand, without stepping upon them. 

 These beds should be in high condition. The soil being prepared 

 with a fine rake, the seed should be sown broadcast, so as to afford 

 about four seeds to each square inch of surface. The bed should 

 then be gently pressed with the back of a spade or other smooth 

 instrument, and the seeds covered by riddling some fine damp 

 mould over them, which had been reserved for that purpose. 

 This covering should not be less than a quarter of an inch thick. 

 Each bed should be carefully protected from birds, by nets placed 

 upon thin rods, bent over like a tilt ; without this precaution they 

 will be devoured as fast as they appear. The beds should be 

 carefully watered by means of a watering-pot with a fine rose, 

 and occasionally protected from the too great heat of the sun by 

 means of mats or boughs. The utmost diligence should be used 

 to keep the plants free from weeds, and also to protect them from 

 hares and rabbits, which indeed must be effectually excluded from 

 the whole of the nursery. The proper time of sowing is from the 

 middle to the end of April. In two years larch will be fit to be 

 planted out on such lands where they cannot be overtopped or 

 otherwise injured by tall weeds, such as furze, fern, &c. But 



