182 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



a. Sowing and Planting in Clear- Cuttings. 



Sowing can be done by mixing the seed of two or 

 more species, or by sowing one over the other, either 

 direct or crosswise. The second method must be fol- 

 lowed whenever the seeds require a different covering, 

 that which requires the deeper one being sown first. 

 Another method is to sow in alternate strips. Such 

 sowings are rarely made now-a-days, but recourse is had 

 to planting, as it permits the mixture being arranged in 

 any way which may be desired. The species may alter- 

 nate in single plants, or in lines, or strip- or group-wise. 

 Again the proportion of one species to another can be 

 absolutely fixed. The group system is specially indi- 

 cated where the conditions of the soil change from place to 

 place, as each patch can receive the most suitable species. 

 The ske of such groups depends on circumstances ; if it 

 exceed a certain limit, the wood can no longer be con- 

 sidered mixed it becomes a series of pure woods. 



Where a light-demanding species is to be mixed with 

 a shade-bearer, the former can be given a start of a few 

 years, instead of arranging the mixture by groups. In 

 such cases the mixture is frequently arranged by lines, 

 the light- demanding (and generally hardy) species being 

 planted first in alternate lines, and the shade-bearing 

 species (generally tender in early youth) afterwards in 

 the intermediate lines. 



Another way of giving one species a start over 

 another is to put in plants of different ages. 



In many cases one species is raised with field crops, 

 while the other is planted in, when the cultivation of 

 the field crops has ceased. 



