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in thinning is that the plants to be removed, when they cannot he 

 taken away all round the plant to be left, should be taken from the 

 east and west sides of it, in consequence of which it will receive the 

 sun and air on two sides instead of on one, which would be the case 

 if thinning took place only on the south side ; while if it were limited 

 to the north side, air would be admitted, but no sun. 



Seedling Crops in Gardens. To make sure of a sufficient number 

 of plants, and of their distribution over every part of the surface, 

 much more seed is sown than is required for the number of plants 

 requisite for a crop. As soon as the plants from these seeds make 

 their appearance, and are considered safe from accidents or insects, all 

 or the greater part of those which are not judged necessary for pro- 

 ducing a crop are pulled and thrown away> hoed up and left to die on 

 the spot, or in some cases taken up by the trowel or spade and trans- 

 planted elsewhere. The distance at which the remaining plants are 

 left depends on their nature and habit, on the richness or poverty of 

 the soil, and on the kind of crop required. For example, in thinning 

 out an autumnal crop of turnips, the distance between the plants left 

 will be much less than in thinning out a spring crop ; because in the 

 latter case, the plants being destined to benefit by the warmth and 

 light of summer, their roots will attain a much larger size than those of 

 the autumn-sown crop. It will readily be conceived that crops that 

 have few or narrow leaves and perpendicular roots, such as the onion, 

 require less thinning than such as have broad -spreading leaves, such as 

 the turnip ; and that those which have tap-roots, like the carrot, do 

 not require so much surface soil as those which have spreading roots, 

 and creeping or trailing shoots, such as the New Zealand spinach. 

 Thinning seedling herbaceous plants may take place at any season ; 

 but when they are to be cut out with the hoe and left to die on the 

 spot, dry weather and a dry state of the soil are necessary ; and 

 when they are to be pulled up by hand, or taken up by the roots with 

 a tool for transplanting, a moist state of the soil and cloudy or rainy 

 weather are essential, in order that the fibres may receive as little 

 injury as possible in parting from the soil. 



Thinning Plantations. Timber trees when planted in masses are 

 placed much closer together than they are intended to be finally, partly 

 to shelter one another, and partly to profit by the trees which are to 

 be from time to time thinned out. By planting moderately thick, the 

 nutriment contained in the soil is much sooner turned into wood than 

 it would be. if only the few trees were planted which are finally to 

 remain ; and by these trees standing near together they are drawn up 

 with straight stems, so that the timber produced, even by young trees 

 so treated, is of some use. By increasing the distance between these 

 trees by thinning, the source of nourishment to the roots of the trees 

 which remain is increased, and the space round the branches for light 

 and air enlarged, so that by degrees, with every successive thinning, 

 larger timber is produced. At what time the thinning of a plantation 

 ought to commence, how long it ought to be continued, and at what 

 distances the trees ought finally to stand, will depend on the sort of 



