96 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETV. 



that the utmost care should be taken when lifting them from the 

 seed-beds. When plants are reared in lines the minimum 

 of damage will be done in this way. 



The distance between the lines and the space between the plants 

 in the lines depend on their size and species. For i- and 2-year- 

 seedling conifers the lines should be 9 to 10 inches apart, with 

 about eighteen plants to the lineal yard in the line. If the 

 plants are grown more crowded, they have neither room for the 

 proper development of their roots nor their branches. 



Since the production of successive crops of tree-plants causes 

 a heavy drain on the mineral constituents in the soil, these last 

 elements must be restored. This may be done by means of a 

 dressing of thoroughly well decayed farm-yard manure mixed 

 with well decomposed compost formed from decayed leaves, 

 scourings of ditches and road-side material. A little lime or 

 basic slag may with advantage be added. 



A coating of this composition should be spread over the 

 ground on which the plants are to be lined, and previous to the 

 lining operations the ground should be carefully dug over, thus 

 thoroughly mixing the top dressing with the soil. 



A spit of soil is first removed all along the line when the 

 work of lining is to begin. Digging is done to a width of 

 6 inches past the point where the first row of plants is to be 

 placed. A garden line should then be stretched along the 

 surface and a trench prepared for the reception of the plants. 



It is always necessary to observe that the trench is of sufficient 

 depth to allow the roots to hang vertically under the plants. 



It is important that no bending of the roots should take place, 

 and that the plants should be inserted at the correct depth in the 

 soil. Both of these objects can be attained, with mechanical 

 precision, by the use of a simple piece of apparatus known as 

 the planting lath. 



These laths may be of any length, but a length of from 10 

 to 12 feet is found to be most generally convenient. The length 

 of lathing available should be equal to double the length of the 

 lines which are to be planted, so that when one set is in use at 

 the planting line, the other set is being filled (see Plate IX. 

 Fig. 2). 



It will be seen that the plants are inserted into small notches 

 or slits which are cut in the laths, at 2 to 2J inches apart. 

 The laths for convenience of filling are inserted on edge in two 



