APPENDIX. 141 



and if not destroyed by mice, field voles, or other vermin, 

 will doubtless be found effective. 



Care of Plantation after Planting. 



As a rule new plantations will take from two to five years 

 to establish according to soil and seasons. It is sometimes 

 most difficult to secure a complete success, and the greatest 

 care of the forester is required. Young trees are subject 

 to so many dangers rabbits, hares, deer, drought, excessive 

 moisture, frost, snow, cutting winds, and the like ; so that 

 patience and skill are essential elements of success. 



Should the planting be completed by March, one man at 

 least, and more if the area be large, should be left in charge. 

 His duties will be to keep out ground game or to report 

 to the keeper, to maintain the fence, tread in and resoil the 

 trees where required, cut away gross or rank herbage, and 

 other such like actions which will tend to life and growth 

 of the trees. 



This will often save trees from perishing in the dry season 

 which may follow planting. The chief danger lies in a hot 

 dry summer before the root-fibre becomes active. 



The following autumn, say in October and November, 

 dead trees should be pulled up and counted, and new ones 

 planted in their place. The loss may be heavy or light 

 according to season. It may be necessary to continue this 

 in the following year, and with reasonable success the plan- 

 tation may then be considered safe. 



On moist soils, such as are found in the North of Ireland, 

 West of England, and Wales, plantations become established 

 much more rapidly than on the drier eastern coast. 



Once established, little remains to be done beyond main- 

 taining fences, banks, killing of ground game, and general 

 oversight until the period of first thinning. 



