138 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



valleys, the shores of lakes and the sea. In all such 

 cases the preparatory cuttings must be comparatively 

 heavy. 



On the other hand, in localities which are liable to be 

 overrun by a heavy crop of grass or weeds, the cuttings 

 must be light, or else the young seedlings will be choked. 



Generally, the most suitable condition for germination 

 has been reached, when the covering of the soil has 

 been so far reduced that the mineral soil can here and 

 there be seen through it, without being altogether 

 exposed ; the seedlings will then be able to establish 

 their rootlets in the mineral soil at an early stage, and 

 thus escape the danger of being killed off by a subse- 

 quent spell of dry weather. If, at the conclusion of the 

 preparatory stage, this condition has not been reached, a 

 portion of the humus and leaves or moss may have to be 

 removed artificially, or mixed with the mineral soil 

 below. 



In many cases the vegetable covering of the soil has 

 already been too much reduced by a premature inter- 

 ruption of the leaf -canopy, so that the most favourable 

 condition of the seed-bed is past, the soil having become- 

 hard and dry, or overrun by grass and weeds. In such 

 cases further cuttings would only increase the evil, and 

 must therefore be omitted ; a suitable seed-bed is in that 

 case secured by working the soil immediately before or 

 after the seed falls. The working of the soil may consist 

 merely in removing the weed growth, or in hoeing it up 

 either entirely or in strips or patches, causing it to' be 

 broken up by pigs, raking, harrowing, or even ploughing 

 it with a light forest plough. Generally speaking, this 

 operation is known as "wounding the soil" and is 



