292 PLANTINO. 



and the plants must stand far apart. In a poor dry soil, on un- 

 stable slopes, and so on, the sooner the leaf-canopy is formed, the 

 better. 



fiii) The age, size and vigour of the planting material. The 

 younger or smaller or weaker this material is, the closer must it be 

 planted. 



(iv) The hind of planting material used. Cuttings without 

 roots will generally be put down closer than rooted plants ; plants 

 with naked roots than plants with covered roots ; and so on. 



(v) The climate and locality. The severer the chmate, the 

 steeper the gradient, the more windy or frosty the locahty, and so 

 on, the closer must we plant. 



(vi) The degree of suitability of the soil for the species used. 

 The less suitable the soil, the closer together must the plants be 

 put down. 



(vii) The nature of the surrounding vegetation. The planting 

 must be closer in perfectly bare treeless or shrubless land than in 

 the midst of useful woody growth, especially if this consists of 

 seedlings or seedling-shoots of valuable species, or of trees capable 

 of producing a new generation of seedlings. If the surrounding 

 vegetation is injurious and must be suppressed quickly, the plants 

 ing should be close. And so on. 



(viii) 7%e object of the plantation. If protection against land- 

 slips, erosion, avalanches, hot winds, &c. is required, we must 

 plant close. If the early production of large poles is desired, then 

 the plants should be put down further apart than il lofty trees 

 with long straight clean boles were 1o be grown. In pasture 

 lands we want only a few trees, solely to afford shelter and to 

 maintain a good crop of grass. In simply introducing a species 

 for the first time or merely increasing its proportion, the planting 

 will be sparse. And so on. 



(ix) The exposed position of the area to be planted up. Thus 

 the planting will be closer on the edge of a forest or along a road 

 than in the interior. 



(x) The state of the demand. If small wood sells readily, wo 

 would obviously plant closer than if it had no value at all. If 

 grass were valuable, there need be no hurry in suppressing it by 

 close planting. And so on. 



(xi) The number of plants put down together at each point. 

 The object of putting down more than one individual at each 

 planting spot is to provide for one plant at least succeeding at 

 every point. The chances of complete failure being thus minimised, 



