152 FOREST PLANTING. 



beds thus formed. The softer the field, the deeper the 

 trenches should be dug, and consequently the higher 

 should the beds be raised. Although there is much 

 left for one's own judgment in this matter, the propor- 

 tion of the width of beds to that of the ditches usually 

 is five to one, while the depth of the ditches is regulated 

 by the depth of the vegetable mould and the level of the 

 ground-water. The ditches should be so deep as to 

 bring up a layer of the sandy subsoil at least six inches 

 thick, and heighten the beds to such a degree that the 

 level of the ground-water remains at least three feet 

 below the surface soil. After the lapse of one year, 

 planting may be begun without any further Avorking of 

 the soil, the heavy sand sinking by its own Aveight into 

 the porous surface, thus rendering it fit for sylvi-cul- 

 ture. But should the dugup subsoil be loamy, a thor- 

 ough plowing and mixing with the top soil is necessary. 

 On the soil of a swamp prepared in this manner, 

 ''planting" of forest-trees is decidedly preferable to 

 "seeding" as such ground invites the growth of 

 grasses too much, and, therefore, the surface will soon be 

 covered by a dense mat of grass and weeds unless more 

 often disturbed by the cultivator, a treatment which 

 would in a seeded field prevent the seeds from sprout- 

 ing. The best time for planting is the spring, as by 

 planting during the fall, winter killing could not be 

 avoided on account of the elevated lay of the spongy 

 beds, and their being greatly exposed to frost. But 

 even to plant seedlings (from one to two years old) the 

 rapidity of the growth of gras^ and weeds is very obnox- 

 ious, and, therefore, to prevent any inroads from this 

 cause, hill-planting has to be resorted to.* In these hills, 

 made from the subsoil earth, the seedlings are set as 



*See pages 9T and 98. 



