24 A TES ON FOKES TR Y. 



the forest, either singly or in bunches of three to 

 live. Others transplant these at 8 to 10 in. apart 

 in the nursery, removing them to the forest the 

 second year, planting them singly ; while others 

 prefer transplanting them a second time in the 

 nursery at 9 to 12 in. apart, removing them to 

 the foresj: the third year. These frequent trans- 

 plantings cause the roots to be much branched, 

 which enables them the more readily to assimi- 

 late food when removed to changed conditions, 

 and facilitates their removal by preventing the 

 formation of too deep a top root. 



This system, which may be advantageously 

 adopted for the cultivation of deodar and other 

 hill-trees, involves generally too long a period 

 for trees on the Plains. Many of our trees, if 

 sown in nurseries in March or April, will reach 

 a height of 1 to 2 ft. by the middle of July, 

 and require to be planted out immediately, 

 otherwise the labour of removing them becomes 

 too costly. For forest work, I do not think it 

 necessary to keep any of our stock plants more 

 than one year in the nursery, unless for planting 

 in rank grass-jungles ; and here it is generally 

 cheaper to put out the plants at 6 to 8 ft. high, 

 than to clear the jungles. As soon as the trees 

 meet overhead, the undergrowth will die out, 

 and leave a clean forest floor. 



