THE NEW FORESTRY. 137 



Some planters recommend the pits to be taken out .weeks, 

 and even months, before planting time, on the plea that 

 exposure to the air benefits the soil in some way, especially in 

 bad soils. The reply to the last-named plea is, that when the soil 

 is so unsuitable that the soil from the pits has to be aerated, the 

 ground is unfit to be planted altogether, seeing that the roots 

 will quickly extend beyond the limits of the pit. Generally 

 speaking we have never seen the least advantage in digging 

 the pits long before planting, and the experience of garden 

 culture is opposed in principle to the practice, and garden 

 practice deals with a far greater multitude of subjects than 

 forestry. If there be one practice more than another that the 

 gardener has proved to be a wise one, it is that it is always 

 best to sow or plant in freshly turned up soil, and rather than 

 do either, in a soil that has been thrown up for some time, he 

 will fork and harrow again and again, if accidents of weather 

 or anything else interferes with his operations at the first 

 digging. The forest tree is no exception, and trees that are 

 planted in the newly turned up soil as soon as the pits , are 

 opened' will be found to succeed in a perfectly satisfactory 

 manner. 



SECTION XIV. — PLANTING "WITH THE DIBBER 

 AND TROWEL. 



These tools are only used for planting forest trees at the 

 first and second years seedling stage, and they are used on 

 the same principle as the spade in pitting. Sometimes in 

 hard soils a crowbar is used. The dibber ought to be heavy, 

 thicker than an ordinary garden dibber, and shod with iron. 

 In planting, the dibber should be inserted straight into the 

 ground, and deep enough for the roots, which should be 

 dropped straight into the hole as the dibber is withdrawn. 

 The dibber should then be pushed down a second time, close 

 to the first hole, and pushed forward so as to wedge the plant 

 firmly into position up to the collar, the second hole being 

 afterwards filled up with the dibber point The trowel is used 

 in the same way, and is useful in rough stoney soils, where a 

 dibber cannot be employed. 



In planting by any of the methods described, the roots of 

 the plants should not be long exposed to the air, and in dry 

 weather they should be puddled before planting. The head 

 forester, or his, foreman, should overlook every operation and 



