SOWING AND PLANTING 175 



utilised in filling up " vacancies," i.e. patches in which 

 none of the seed has come up. In dry localities the 

 patches may be sunk somewhat below the level of 

 the ground in the shape of small pits, and in moist 

 localities small mounds can be gathered together with 

 the help of the hoe and the seed dibbled into them. 



Seed may also be sown by being dibbled in without 

 previous preparation of the ground. In this case it 

 is not usual to mark out beforehand the spots where it 

 will be put in. The men who dibble in the seed are 

 put in a line and given a direction, and keep approxi- 

 mately within regular distances of one another. The 

 seed is then dibbled in each time the men take a step 

 or two steps forward. This method, although it has 

 the advantage of cheapness, does not yield as good 

 results as those previously described, unless the soil 

 is of good quality and yet free from invading weeds. 

 It is more suitable to those species which have a deep 

 rooting apparatus than those which have superficial 

 roots. It is used mostly to fill in blanks in land already 

 under forest, and also to assist natural regeneration. 

 When the seeds are large, a hoe is used instead of a 

 stake or dibbling hammer. 



(b) Planting 



There are two broad divisions in the methods of 

 planting, viz. with earth attached to and enclosing 

 the roots, and with the roots free of earth. These are 

 commonly called, respectively, " planting with " or 

 without "balls of earth," although the "ball" is by 

 no means necessarily globular but more commonly 

 cylindrical, conical, or pyramidal. There are certain 

 general rules which apply to both methods. They are 

 that both the root-axis and the stem should be vertical 

 when the plant is put in, that the root-collum should 

 be at the level of the ground when put in and when the 

 earth has settled, i.e. that the plants should be put in 

 neither too deep nor too shallow, and thirdly, that 



