liki nsii FOKKST TREES 233 



neither of these methods is adopted, the seed can be easily 

 < ollccted by being skimmed off the surface of the water of 

 ponds, or of pools on the ground ; but such seed is always 

 deficient in germinative capacity as compared with that 

 collected by either of the other methods, and should always 

 be utilised at once. 



When the plants are to remain and be put out as seedlings, 

 the beds must be carefully weeded, and at the same time all 

 weaklings should be plucked out. But better results are 

 ultimately obtainable with transplants pricked out in lines of 

 twelve to fourteen inches by six to eight inches when one 

 year old, or twelve inches by twelve inches when they are 

 two years old, before being brought into the nursery. 



Planting with one-year-old seedlings is usually out of the 

 question, on account of the strong growth of grass on alder 

 soils, and on the whole the use of two to four years old 

 transplants is most general after they have stood a couple of 

 years in the nursery-beds. 



As a rule, the transplants are put in without earth attached 

 to the roots, except on wet soil, where the balls of earth 

 enable them to establish themselves sooner, and where also 

 the larger assortments of the four to five-year-old transplants 

 are generally used. The operation of planting is simple, 

 notching being frequently adopted on moist soils, but 

 tumping or planting on mounds has often to be resorted 

 to on wet situations. Close planting of the quick-growing 

 alder is out of place, and the plants should not be put out 

 nearer than four and a half or six feet apart, or in rows of 

 five feet by seven feet. The time of planting depends very 

 much on the soil. Where mounds or beds have been pre- 

 viously prepared, the putting out of the plants may take place 

 in the spring, though as a rule this operation is performed 

 in autumn, when there is less moisture in the soil ; but when 

 this is even then too soft, the advent of the first frosts has 



