THE NEW FORESTRY. I I 5 



first led us, a few years ago, to begin a month 

 earlier, in autumn, soil conditions being favourable. It is 

 well known that the soft young shoots and leaves of firs and 

 other evergreens suffer far more severely from drought and 

 evaporation than do the older leaves, and we concluded that if 

 young plants started into tender growth could stand moving 

 and resist the bright sunshine and drought of; May, the more 

 mature plants of August and September would transplant 

 equally well or better, and it was found that they did so. 

 Our guide, therefore, now, is not dates, but the condition of the 

 current season's growth. If the terminal shoots have ceased 

 to lengthen and have plumped their buds they may be trans- 

 planted in August, or even earlier, with every prospect of 

 success, always provided that the soil is workable and moist, 

 or that watering is practicable. Of' course, pit-planting only 

 should be the method adopted in the woods, and the pits 

 should be made as the planting goes on. There is no advan- 

 tage whatever in digging the pits long beforehand ; the soil 

 is never in better condition than when newly turned up for 

 planting all kinds of plants. Gardeners have long acted in this 

 belief. The main .advantage of early autumn planting is that 

 the plants get established before winter and make a good growth 

 the following year ; whereas in winter and early spring planting 

 those that survive make hardly any growth, only expanding 

 their buds but remaining practically at a standstill for one 

 whole year. This loss of a year's growth, during which there 

 is no increment to the stem, means more than might be 

 supposed. It will be apparent that whether the tree be planted 

 in the autumn or the spring following, the ensuing summer's 

 growth will be the first year's growth in either case ; hence by 

 planting in autumn, and getting the trees established before 

 winter, a season's growth is gained the first year against none 

 by planting in the spring. Supposing a tree to contain one 

 hundred cubic feet at the end of one hundred years, when 

 felled and sold, that would represent an average annual incre- 

 ment to the stem of one cubic foot. But if the tree stood still 

 one year, the first year, instead of adding to its growth, the 

 the actual growing period of the tree's life would be ninety- 

 nine years, the contents of the stem proportionately less, and 

 the loss in money over an extensive plantation might be 

 represented by - hundreds or perhaps thousands of pounds. 

 This question of increment is much more intelligently studied 

 on the Continent than with us, as in the case of large areas it 

 is perceived that anything tending to check the regular progress 



