ii2 BRITISH FOREST TREES 



Notching, and the use of naked seedling or wisps, are 

 only suited for the more favourable soils of a light character : 

 on tenacious soils, or where there is a strong tendency to 

 growth of weeds, this otherwise cheap and good method is 

 not advisable. In general, too, this method seems to affect 

 the rootlets of the spruce to a greater extent than those of 

 the pine, which latter do not so long retain the flat shape 

 induced by the pressure employed at the time of planting. 



The use of transplants with earth attached is on the 

 whole far more advisable, and usually leads to better results, 

 than the use of naked seedlings; and in localities where 

 growth of weeds does not call for the use of older material, 

 the operations of transport and planting can be carried out 

 at a very reasonable rate if the preparation of the holes on 

 the area to be planted, and the lifting of the material from 

 the nurseries, be carried out with small cylindrical spades 

 (Heyer's 1 ), which besides have the additional advantage of 

 rendering too deep planting impossible, one of the worst, 

 but most common mistakes made in regard to the spruce, 

 particularly in tenacious soil. 



Planting should take place in spring to as great an extent 

 as is practicable; but at high latitudes or elevations, or 

 where a moist soil has first to get rid of some of its super- 

 fluous moisture, autumn planting also yields good results. 

 On windy situations, and on dry soil, the most favourable 

 time for planting is is spring, just before the buds flush and 

 form the new shoots. Plantations formed in autumn are 

 less able to resist the action of frost during their first winter' 

 than those formed in spring, whilst the plants can more 

 easily be pulled out of the ground by deer. 



The best average distance between the plants has been 



1 These useful instruments were first described in a report ' ' On 

 the Corsican Fir," printed in the Transactions of the Highland and 

 Agricultural Society, 1876. 



