COST OF DIGGING HOLES. 49 



Care should be taken in laying out plantations to 

 arrange, previously to digging the holes, all outside 

 or road side plantings, as the holes required will not 

 probably run with the main lines. 



Some landowners object greatly to uniformity, and 

 will not have Jines at all. In this case random-plant- 

 ing must be resorted to. We greatly object, however, 

 to this, as the work entailed when thinning is very 

 great, much in excess of thinning uniform plantations. 

 Dragging out the trees where there are no regular 

 lines is heavy and discouraging. If, however, this 

 plan is resorted to, we recommend cutting lines right 

 through at certain distances before proceeding with 

 the thinning ; but of this hereafter. 



When digging on hill-sides, cut vertically down and 

 throw the soil on the lower side ; and when planting 

 hold the tree on the low side and back in with top 

 soil. A man can dig under ordinary circumstances 

 150 holes a day, so if the wage is 2s. a day the cost 

 will range from say is. 6d. to 2s. per hundred. We 

 prefer, however, in almost all forest operations to work 

 by the day. Well inspected day labour, as a rule, is 

 more successful than hastily and imperfectly performed 

 task-work. 



It will be well, before passing on to the actual 

 planting, to describe the method of preparing for the 

 planting of ornamental trees. These are usually 

 larger than those planted on more extensive areas, 

 and have been specially trained in the nursery for 

 the purpose. Their roots are more developed, and 

 therefore require larger holes ; and the object being 

 to obtain individual symmetry and beauty, greater 



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