>68 FOREST PLANTATIONS. [Jan. 



ihould it be pra&ifed, if the turf be found three 

 or four inches thick. By the mode of prepara- 

 tion already recommended, it has been fhown, 

 that turf is capable of being converted -into a pro- 

 per mould in the fpace of a few months ; and the 

 expenfe of pitting, efpecially in fmall plantations, 

 can never counterbalance the rilk of fuccefs, in 

 the eyes of an ardent planter. 



The T method Is this : The man ftrikes the 

 fpade at random to the depth of the turf. He 

 then ftrikes it crofswife at the end of this incifion, 

 and at right angles with it, Hoping the fpade con- 

 fiderably outwards in the mouth, fo as that its 

 handle may form an acute angle with the furface ; 

 he next prefles the hand towards the ground, un- 

 til the gafli is fufficiently opened to receive the 

 roots of the plant without difficulty. The boy, 

 or afiiftant, having the ftem of the plant in his 

 hand, the top inside of the arm, and Handing op- 

 posite, now claps the root upon the plate of the 

 fpade, and draws it gently into the gafh. The 

 fpade is then eafed upwards until the plant be- 

 come upright, when it is withdrawn. The boy 

 continues to hold the ftem in the upright pofition, 

 till he treads the turf clofe down. 



Some people, before treading down the turf, 

 chop it all round the ftem of the plant. This is 

 done with the idea of keeping the slit from open- 

 ing in dry weather, by which the roots are very 



apt 



