48 NURSERY MANAGEMENT 



the rarer exotics, though, if a nursery is kept at all, it would 

 not add much to the work to grow the plants from the seed. 

 This is a perfectly simple business with all the common forest 

 trees and presents no difficulty. 



Pitrchase of plants from public nurseries. When purchasing 

 plants the woodman should, if practicable, visit the nursery, 

 from which he proposes to get his plants, in the summer pre- 

 ceding the planting season ; he will thus see the plants in full 

 leaf and can be sure that they are well grown and healthy. 

 He should have a few samples dug up and should see that the 

 roots are well shaped, with plenty of fibrous roots, and that 

 they are not all on one side. The plants should be well- 

 proportioned, with well-formed buds, and they should not be 

 drawn up and lanky. 



If a visit cannot be made to the nursery, samples should be 

 obtained before purchasing. 



If the situation to be planted is at a high elevation or in an 

 exposed spot it will be as well to obtain plants from a nur- 

 seryman whose nurseries are situated in a similar place, pre- 

 ferably from the north of Great Britain, taking care that the 

 plants have been actually grown in the nursery from which 

 they are ordered, and that they are not second-hand ones 

 from elsewhere. 



On arrival of the plants they should be unpacked, examined 

 and counted, watered, and at once planted; if this cannot be 

 done immediately, they must be ' heeled in '. A trench is dug, 

 the roots are placed in this and are well covered with soil. 

 Should the plants arrive during a hard frost they should be 

 placed, just as they are, in a shed and should not be unpacked 

 till the frost comes to an end. Bundles should be opened out 

 before they are heeled in. 



Home nurseries. These may be temporary or permanent. 

 A temporary nursery is one laid out roughly, in the centre of 

 the area to be planted, strips being dug up about one foot 

 wide and two feet apart in which young plants are planted 

 three or four inches apart. When these are large enough 



