168 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
of timber in a suitable and convenient position within the forest. 
The roots are then grubbed out, the ground trenched and laid out 
in beds three feet wide with alleys between. The seeds are 
usually sown in rows across the beds, and covered with specially 
prepared soil, and afterwards their surface is covered with a thin 
layer of spruce leaves, or with well-decomposed Jeaf-mould, to 
prevent too rapid radiation. As a protection against frost, they 
are then covered with spruce branches, over which may be 
placed a thin layer of grass, but after all danger is past the 
covering is removed. In transplanting seedlings into the nursery 
rows, great care is observed in placing their roots as far as 
possible in their natural position, and in giving the plants 
sufficient room for development. Two crops are usually pro- 
duced from these temporary nurseries, and advantage is at once 
taken of ‘introducing the future forest crop, by planting in each 
alley, as soon as formed, a row of trees two to three feet apart. 
An advantage is thus gained of four or five years’ growth, which 
would otherwise be lost if the planting of the area was postponed 
until the final crop was removed. 
As it is with nursery work, so it is in planting outside. 
Everything that has a tendency to further the success of the 
operation is carefully attended to and methodically earried out. 
In planting sandy soils, where Scots fir is to be the crop, one 
year’s seedlings are generally used, and for these the surface is 
previously stirred, either with the plough or spade. For plant- 
ing, a broad wedge-shaped spade is used, which is pressed by 
the workman down into the soi!, and a wedge-shaped opening 
formed, A woman or boy is at hand, who carries the plants in a 
basket, and who has also a dish of water convenient, into which 
the roots of a couple of plants are dipped, and these are: then 
sprinkled over with a little fine soil. One is held, with its roots 
perpendicular, in each end of the opening, and the spade is then 
sunk about three inches back, but parallel with the opening, and 
the soil pressed forward against the roots. The whole then 
receives a gentle tramp, when the work is completed. 
Where the surface and soil are of a rougher character, as, for 
instance, on the Harz, larger plants beeome necessary, and are 
placed about three feet apart, the surface sod at the position of 
each plant being pared off by a light mattock, and the subsoil 
loosened. The planters (women) scrape out a hollow with their 
hands and place the plant im situ, and cover its roots with a couple 
