SOWING AND PLANTING IN THE FOREST 61 



When the seedlings have appeared the after management 

 consists chiefly of keeping down the. weeds. On hilly land 

 the strips should follow the contour and should not run up and 

 down the hill, as in this case a heavy rainfall may wash soil 

 and seeds to the bottom of the strip. 



Where the surface is turfy, acorns or chestnuts may often 

 be successfully sown by lifting up a piece of turf with a spade 

 and throwing in two or three seeds under the turf, which is 

 then trodden down. This system has been successfully carried 

 out in some parts of Dean Forest. 



Where the soil is very thin and rocky, it is often impossible 

 to find enough soil for planting, and in this case sowing is 

 practically the only possible method of forming a crop. 



As a general rule planting gives more favourable results 

 than sowing, and the latter method is only likely to be carried 

 out in a few specially favourable situations. 



PLANTING 



Both seedlings and transplants can be used for planting in 

 the woods, and it depends on local circumstances which kind 

 of plant should be preferred. Seedlings are much cheaper, 

 and will sometimes stand the severe operation of transplanting 

 better than larger plants, but on the other hand they are 

 liable to be smothered by a rank growth of weeds unless a 

 heavy expenditure is incurred in cutting this back annually 

 for three or four years. In our moist climate, as a general 

 rule, transplants are the best to use, preferring ordinarily two- 

 year-two or one-year-tvvo plants, which are usually from one 

 and a half to two feet in height. Larger plants cost a good 

 deal more, and very often a large proportion will fail, while 

 three or four year old plants, according to species, are 

 generally large enough to rapidly outgrow any ordinary 

 growth of bracken, bramble, and other weeds. 



Two year seedling pines may be used for planting up sandy 

 soils, and seedlings of other species may also be used where 



