220 ELEMENTS OF SYLVICULTUEE. 



close together, for then the seedlings soon cover the 

 whole ground. But whatever the precautions taken, 

 grass cannot always be kept down ; it must be plucked 

 out with the hand, the operation being facilitated by 

 making the beds narrow, in order that the weeder 

 may reach the middle without leaving the footpath. 



Even if no grass comes up in the trenches among 

 the seedlings, it is always necessary to remove that 

 which grows on the paths and roads in the nursery. 

 This must be done at the latest before the seeds 

 ripen. All the stuff obtained from weeding should 

 be collected to prepare the mould already mentioned. 



Hoeing is an operation by which the soil is 

 loosened at the surface, being a species of second 

 working up to which it is subjected. It is not 

 always resorted to in nurseries, and has its raison 

 d'etre only when it is proposed to raise plants of 

 some size. In this case of course, it is necessary to 

 increase the distance between them, and give them 

 more free room by transplanting them. The ground, 

 being then no longer completely covered, becomes 

 hard, and may be overgrown with grass. This is 

 the time for hoeing, by which the soil is broken up 

 and at the same time freed from grass. It has 

 sometimes been said that the hoe should not be 

 used during drought. Experience, however, proves 

 otherwise by showing that a well-loosened soil dries 

 to a less depth and condenses more dew than the 

 same soil in a hard and compact state. This is 

 equivalent to saying that hoeing done at the right 

 moment is as good as watering. 



Seedlings are divided into three classes according 



