THE SCHOOLING OF SEEDLINGS. 197 



6. For planting in the midst of advanced growth that has 

 already reached a certain size. 



7. For introducing new seedling growth in a coppice. 



For all the above purposes large plants, such as cannot be pro- 

 duced in seed-beds, are indispensable. 



Seedlings may require being schooled in nursery lines in yet 

 two other cases, viz. (i) when, by reason of the supply exceeding 

 the demand, they have been kept so long in the seed-bed that 

 they must be pricked out in order to acquire the proper root- 

 development ; and (ii) when, for any reason, self-sown seedlings 

 from the forest are to be used, and owing to the unfavourable soil 

 of the forest, the root-development of the young plants is defective. 

 In every other case seed-bed raised plants will suffice. 



2. The schooling of seedlings. 



By far the largest proportion of planting material raised in 

 forest nurseries consists of seedlings. We will, therefore, first of 

 all describe in detail the management of seedlings in nursery lines. 

 Much of the procedure described will be common to the treatment 

 of root-suckers, rhizomes, slips and cuttings, and layers and grafts, 

 and our remarks regarding those exceptional classes of transplants 

 will hence be brief and of purely special application. 



In dealing with the schooling of seedlings the following points 

 will be noticed : (A) Age of transplanting and number of times 

 to transplant ; (B) season for transplanting ; (C) distance of trans- 

 planting ; (D) preparation of the soil ; (E) lifting up of the seed- 

 lings ; (F) method of transplanting ; (G) watering ; (H) pro- 

 tection ; (I) weeding and hoeing ; and (Jj training. 



A. Age for first transplanting and number of times to 



transplant. 



The age at which seedlings should be removed from the seed- 

 beds to nursery lines will depend on one or more of the following 

 circumstances : 



(i) The nature of the species ; 



(ii) The crowded state of the seedlings in the seed-beds ; 



(iii) The rapidity of growth of the seedlings at the time in ques- 

 tion ; 



(iv) The year in which the seedlings are to be put out ; and 



(v) The number of times the seedlings are to be transplanted. 



Under no circumstances, however, should seedlings leave the 

 seed-bed before lignification of the tap or main roots and the stem 

 is at least fairly well advanced : for the roots are always more or 



