52 SELECTING LAND. 



rains carrying away both soil and manure, thus exposing 

 the roots of the shrubs. The top or surface-soil must 

 be fairly good in all cases, the subsoil may be, but must 

 never be, composed of stiff clay, the shrub being essen- 

 tially a lateral feeder. 



In opening a plantation, which is in all cases to be 

 shaded by preserving a portion of the original forest trees, 

 the first thing to be done is — after having ascertained the 

 amount of land that can be conveniently planted in one 

 season — to clear a wide road through the underwood 

 from one end of the block of forest to the other, and as 

 many at right angles to the line as may facilitate easy 

 examination and of thoroughly inspecting the land to be 

 cleared. The next thing to be done is to cut another 

 wide line round the entire portion to be cleared, leaving 

 a belt of from fifteen to twenty yards wide as a margin 

 which is always to be kept uncleared, as this marginal 

 belt will be found useful for shelter. The amount of 

 shade must be regulated according to the value of the 

 exposure as shown in the aspect. A great deal of shade 

 being required on southern slopes, very little on northern 

 ones, and only a moderate degree of shade being required 

 for eastern and western slopes. The preliminary lines 

 having been cleared, the whole of the underwood should 

 then be cut down from one end to the other, and while it 

 is yet green such portions of the larger trees as it may 

 be difficult to remove by carting or dragging along the 

 ground, should be cut up in pieces, but never burned, as 

 is frequently the custom. This work should be com- 

 pleted by the end of December. The land being thus 

 thoroughly cleared, lines of road should be laid out and 

 the usual linings and pit diggings carried out, and the 

 plants put down immediately after. The next point to be 

 attended to is to plant out such trees as are particularly 



