EAISING THE PLANTS 47 



replaced. The layer should either be notched with a 

 sharp knife between the stool and the pegs or given a 

 twist to arrest the flow of sap from the parent stool. After 

 the layer has taken root (often in the first year) the layer 

 should be detached. In the nursery the layers should be 

 transplanted in the following season, but in the coppice 

 woods they are left where they are. On dry soils the 

 layers should be well watered. In nurseries stools of 

 some species are kept specially for propagating by means 

 of layers and cuttings. 



Weeding the Seed-beds. 



One of the disadvantages of broadcast- sown seed-beds 

 is that they cannot be hoed, whereas when sown in lines, 

 either along or across the beds, the spaces can be so treated, 

 which work will keep down the weeds and help to conserve 

 moisture by breaking up the surface of the soil. 



Even in lines, of course, there will be weeds that cannot 

 be displaced by the hoe, and these must be carefully 

 pulled out by hand. 



The weeders should place the fingers of one hand on 

 the soil above the roots of the seedlings near the weeds, 

 to prevent them being pulled up when the weeds are 

 removed. 



The latter must never be allowed to attain any size, 

 as their roots sometimes spread over a large space, and 

 the danger of pulling up seedlings is greatly increased. 



For hoeing between lines running lengthwise, a 3-inch 

 or 4-inch dutch hoe is better than the draw-hoe, as the 

 soil is not trodden on again after being broken up. When 



