THE NEW FORESTRY. 147 



ground, and deep enough for the roots, which should be 

 dropped straight into the hole as the dibber is withdrawn. 

 The dibber should then be pushed down a second time, close 

 to the first hole, and pushed forward so as to wedge the plant 

 firmly into position up to the collar, the second hole being 

 afterwards filled up with the dibber point The trowel is used 

 in the same way, and is useful in rough stoney soils, where a 

 dibber cannot be employed. 



In planting by any of the methods described, the roots of 

 the plants should not be long exposed to the air, and in dry 

 weather they should be puddled before planting. The head 

 forester or his foreman should overlook every operation and 

 make sure that the men understand their work and execute 

 it properly. Should the trees have to come from a distant 

 nursery, care should be taken to see that they are got up 

 carefully and quickly, and delivered as speedily as possible at 

 their destination. The dilatory process of counting, bundling 

 and sorting in the nursery is the cause of much delay and 

 injury by the exposure of the roots. We prefer to buy by the 

 row or quarter, and to send our own men to superintend 

 the getting up and despatching of the plants by road or rail 

 with all speed. 



SECTION XV. TENDING NEWLY PLANTED TREES. 



Some attention is needed by young plantations for the 

 first two or three years, or until the trees get their tops fairly 

 above the surrounding rank growth of grass and weeds, which 

 should be -trodden, beaten or cut down during the summer. 

 A few weeks' neglect in this matter may cause great injury 

 to the trees, as the heavy tall grass, weeds or bracken get laid 

 over the smaller trees and smothers them. It is very important 

 that this should not happen towards the end of the season, 

 covering the trees over during the winter. One man with a 

 few boys under his charge armed with sticks or sickles may 

 soon go over a plantation and relieve the trees, each boy taking 

 one row and beating down the grass, etc., round each plant. 

 Strong winds do much injury to young plantations by blowing 

 the trees to one side, and when left in that position they grow 

 up with an awkward bend at the base of their trunks, which 

 greatly detracts from their value when felled and sold. Their 

 liability to be blown to one side or prostrated by gales, is one 

 of the most serious objections to planting trees more than one 



