JAN.] THE NURSERY 47 



But in the public Nurseries, they often plant many kinds of seed- 

 ling-trees and shrubs in much closer rows at first planting out, than 

 the distances above prescribed, not only in order to husband the 

 ground to the best advantage, but by standing closer, it encourages 

 the stem to shoot more directly upward, and prevent them expanding 

 themselves much any where but at top ; as for instance, many sorts 

 of ever-greens that are but of slow growth the first year or two, 

 such as the pine-trees, firs, and seveal others ; which the nursery- 

 gardeners often prick out from the seminary, first into four-feet- 

 wide beds, in rows lengthways, six inches asunder ; and after having 

 two years growth there, transplant them in rows a foot asunder ; 

 and in two years after, give them another, and final transplanta- 

 tion, in the nursery, in rows three feet asunder, as observed above ; 

 and by these different transplan tings, it will encourage the roots to 

 branch out into many horizontal fibres, and prepare them better for 

 final transplantation, which is the more particularly necessary in 

 several of the pine and fir kinds, and several other ever-greens. 



With respect to the different methods of planting the various 

 sorts of nursery-plants, after being raised either by seed, layers, 

 cuttings, &c. it is performed in several ways to different sorts ; 

 some are pricked out by dibble, especially small seedlings, others 

 are put in by the spade, either by trenches, slitting-in, trenching, 

 or holing ; and some are drilled in by a spade or hoe. 



As to most of the tree and shrub-kind, sometimes the young 

 seedling-trees and shrubs are pricked out from the seminary by 

 dibble ; sometimes they are put in by the spade in the following 

 methods ; first, having set a line to plant by, strike the spade into 

 the ground with its back close to the line, and give another stroke 

 at right angles with it : then set a plant into the crevice made at the 

 second stroke, bring it close up into the first made crevice even with 

 the line, and press the mould close to it with the foot ; then pro- 

 ceed to plant another in the same way, and so proceed till all are 

 planted. A second method is for plants with rather larger roots : 

 strike the spade down with its back close to the line, as aforesaid, 

 and then with a spade cut out a narrow trench, close along the line, 

 making the side next the line perfectly upright ; then placing the 

 plants upright against the back of the trench close to the line, at 

 the proper distances, before mentioned ; and as you go on, trim in 

 the earth upon their roots ; when one row is thus planted, tread 

 the earth gently ail along close to the plants ; and then proceed to 

 plant another row. A third method of planting out small tree 

 and shrub plants is, having set the line as above, then turning the 

 spade edgeways to the line, cast out the earth of that spit, then a 

 person being ready with plants, set one in the ca>ity close to the 

 line, and directly taking another such pit, turn the earth in upon 

 the roots of the plant, and then placing another plant into the 

 second cut, cover its roots with the earth of a third spit, and so on 

 to the end : but sometimes, when the roots are considerably larger, 

 holes are made along by the line wide enough to receive the roots 

 freely every way, so covering them in, as above, as you go on ; ob- 

 serving always to press the earth gentiy with the foot close to the 



