PLANTING. 



69 



by the action of frost ; but where the winter rainfall is heavy 

 and more or less continuous, it is better to open them at time 

 of planting. And when wet hillsides have to be planted, a 

 shallow surface-drainage can be obtained by lifting in autumn 

 thick sods of turf of about 18 in. square in continuous lines 

 from below upwards, inverting the sods at the planting spots 

 (clearing away heather at these spots) to let the grassy surfaces 



Fig. 12. 



Pitting with Cylindrical or Semicircular Spades, and plants with 

 balls of earth. 



a, Plant as lifted from nursery-bed ; Z>, Pit made for it on planting ground. 



bite into each other, and tramping them well down ; then in 

 spring pits can be opened through these upturned sods with 

 a heavy 6 in. diameter S-conical spade and the plants put in. 

 This combination of pitting and mound-planting both helps to 

 drain the land and raises the plant above the water-level, with 

 a double depth of the top layer of soil (see footnote, p. 73). 

 On stiff or peaty soil an addition of sand or small gravel is very 

 useful in the pit. 



In planting in such pits it is best to take a good handful of 

 soil, squeeze it well and stick it on the lip of the pit, then put 

 the plant against this in proper position, when both hands will 

 be free to fill the soil into the pit and firm it properly about 

 the roots. Or a small mound of soil is formed by hand at the 

 bottom of the pit, so as to bring the plant into proper position, 



