272 now to grow good timber. 



ploughed and well harrowed, will be in proper order for their 

 reception. The manner of planting the sets is as follows : — 



First, carefully take the plants out of the seed-beds, shorten the 

 tap-root, and take off part of the side-shoots, that there may be an 

 equal proportion of strength between the stem and the root. If the 

 wood is designed to be but small, ten, twenty, or thirty acres, then 

 lines may be drawn, and the trees planted in rows, four feet distant 

 from each other, and the trees two feet asunder in the row : each line 

 must have a man and a boy for planting. The ground being made 

 light and pliable by cross-ploughing and harrowing, the man strikes his 

 spade into the earth close to the line ; he then takes it out, and gives 

 another stroke at right angles with it ; then the boy, having a parcel 

 of plants under his left arm, takes one with his right hand, and 

 readily puts it into the crevice made by the spade at the second 

 stroke ; after this the man gently presses the mould to it with his 

 foot, and thus the young oakling is planted. He proceeds in the 

 same manner to the next, and so on till all is finished. An active 

 man with his boy will plant 1,500 or 2,000 in a day ; and while they 

 are planting others should be employed in taking up fresh sets from 

 the seed-bed, sorting them, and preparing their roots. In short, a 

 sufficient number of hands should be set to every part of this work, 

 that the whole may be carried on with despatch and regularity ; for 

 the ground cannot be too soon furnished with its plants after it is in 

 readiness to receive them, neither can the plants be put too early into 

 the ground after they are taken up from the seminary. Those 

 plants which are nearly of the same size should be made to occupy a 

 large quarter together, and the weakest should be left in the seminary 

 a year longer to gain strength. 



The trees, either for small or large plantations, being in the 

 ground, the first care should be to fence them well from cattle, and 

 even, if possible, from rabbits and hares. The next should be to keep 

 them clear from weeds, that they may not be incommoded in their 

 growth. In all lands weeds must be carefully watched and destroyed 

 at their first appearance. In small plantations hoeing may do ; but 

 where the plantations are large and noble, a double-shelving plough 

 should be provided ; and when the weeds are got two or three inches 

 high, this must be drawn exactly down the middle of each row by 

 horses with their mouths muzzled, somebody leading the foremost 

 horse ; this plough will effectually throw a ridge each way, so that 



