376 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



winter months, autumn and late winter or early spring planting 

 is more successful than late spring planting, because in the latter 

 case there is insufficient root development before the dry season 

 begins to enable the trees to survive. 



20. SPACING METHODS 



Spacing, or the manner of distribution of the plants over the 

 area, may be either irregular or regular. 



21. Irregular Spacing 



In this manner of spacing no attempt is made to set the trees 

 in lines in either direction. The average distance between the 

 plants, however, should be fixed upon and the planters should 

 not deviate too widely from this distance. The distance is judged 

 by the eye and considerable practice is necessary in order to dis- 

 tribute the plants with sufficient uniformity. The more experi- 

 enced and the smaller the crew, the more uniform will be the 

 distribution of the plants. A single inexperienced man unable 

 to judge the planting distance will seriously interfere with the 

 efficiency of the entire crew. 



Irregular spacing should be practiced only on extremely rough 

 sites, in underplanting where the trees are wide-spaced, and in 

 filling up small irregular spaces in existing stands. An advantage 

 resulting from this manner of spacing is that the best places can 

 be selected in which to set the trees, as no attempt is made to keep 

 to definite lines. An irregularly spaced plantation of the same 

 density as one set in rows is a more effective barrier against wind 

 action, and the litter on the forest floor is more likely to remain 

 undisturbed. Irregular spacing is usually preferable when the 

 trees are planted for esthetic purposes. 



The irregularity of the spacing interferes to a greater or less 

 extent with the facility in making the first and second thinnings 

 and consequently is an important factor in determining the cost. 

 In close stands irregularly spaced, the trees marked for removal 

 are more likely to lodge against the neighboring trees in felling 

 and are transported to the roads or margin of the plantation with 

 greater difficulty than is the case where the trees are disposed in 

 lines. 



