50 PRACTICAL FORESTRY. 



care must be exercised. Care should be taken to so 

 prepare each hole that the tree receives the least 

 possible check. As a rule, if a tree intended for 

 ornament, especially a conifer, remains dormant for 

 an undue period, its future beauty is marred. It is 

 possible, if skill is exercised, to prevent this ; and as 

 the object in view is so apparent, the forester should 

 spare no pains to secure a regular and uniform growth. 



If we examine trees planted for ornament, we too 

 often find that they fail to develop into ornamental 

 trees ; and this is almost invariably due to either an 

 unwise selection or to the want of careful planting. 



Compare the ordinary specimen, seen in gardens 

 and pleasure grounds, with those with their beauty 

 and grandeur fully developed, and no one will, we are 

 sure, grudge the extra care and expense required to 

 attain to an equal perfection. We always recommend 

 when the object is to secure ornamental trees, whether 

 individually or collectively, a previous course of 

 preparation. 



If the soil is a tenacious clay with an obdurate sub- 

 soil, the trees should be planted in the spring, and 

 the previous autumn the land should be trenched in 

 the following manner : Open a trench on one side 

 to the correct depth and break up the bottom ; wheel 

 the soil so taken out to the opposite side. Then 

 throw the top soil of the next trench into the bottom 

 of the trench first opened, and the second or under 

 soil on to the top of that, and so proceed until the 

 whole is trenched. This may be performed for is. to 

 is. 6d. per square rod. In the spring when the t;vrs 

 are planted the roots will come into contact at once 



