Tree Planting and Tree Felling 47 



shillings per 100. The time to plant them is either the 

 autumn or the early spring. The planting must be done 

 carefully, as you do not want to stop their growth more 

 than can be helped. Dig a square hole big enough to 

 take the roots quite comfortably. Now with the richer 

 soil from near the top make a mound in the hole. Place 

 the little tree on the mound so that the roots are nicely 

 spread over it, and will find the rich soil as soon as they 

 begin to grow. Fill in the hole and stamp the earth 

 down firmly (Fig. 26). This is the method of planting 

 used for all trees that, like the pine, have a number of 

 small roots. The oak and other trees with a single large 

 root have to be treated differently. The trunk of the 

 tree should be covered to just the same level as it was 

 before it was moved. If the trees are 12 to 15 feet 

 apart it will be near enough as we shall want room in 

 between them for the others. A small plot of land 

 forming a square of which each side measures 75 feet 

 would want six rows of pines with six trees in each row 

 (see diagram). 



What are you going to choose for the other trees of 

 your plantation ? Each of our native trees is valued 

 for its own special properties ; the beech and elm for 

 the hardness of their wood, the ash for its elasticity, 

 and the pine for its clear grain and freedom from knots. 

 Foremost among them stands the oak, whose wood is 

 found to combine these important qualities better than 

 that of any other tree. If your soil is suitable for growing 

 oak trees you cannot do better than choose them. You 

 may as well grow them from acorns to learn how this 

 is done, but as a matter of fact the oak is such a slow 

 growing tree that in actual practice you would probably 

 buy the young trees to save time. The acorns should 



