84 PLANTING. 



profitably learn that autumn planting is preferable to 

 that of spring, especially when the succeeding season 

 is hot and dry. 



The plants used in planting this enclosure were 

 mostly one-year seedlings, two years' transplanted 

 Scots pine and larch ; or to be more explicit, one-year 

 seedlings, one year bedded, and one year transplanted 

 in the home nursery. The drained ground was 

 planted with a mixture of Norway spruce and Scots 

 pine. The whole of the plants, except about 450,000, 

 were planted one year in a local nursery with a view 

 to acclimatising them. The benefits supposed to arise 

 from acclimatising are, however, much less important 

 and real than many persons are prepared to admit. 

 This is very obvious from the following circumstance : 

 The 450,000 plants alluded to were not acclimat- 

 ised, but brought directly from Edinburgh and planted 

 at once into the enclosure. They received the same 

 treatment as regards planting, soil, situation, &c., and 

 have maintained throughout their growth a health 

 and vigour equal in all respects to those acclimatised. 

 They differed, however, from the other plants in one 

 respect — viz., in their being one year younger. They 

 were one-year seedlings, one year bedded only, and not, 

 as the others, transplanted. 



The one - year seedling, one year bedded plants, 

 were the first planted in the enclosure ; and as it was 

 anticipated that a considerable portion of them would 

 perish, they were planted only about 3^ feet apart. 

 Others, also planted the same season, were planted at 

 similar distances. It was soon seen, however, that no 

 deaths occurred as expected, and the distance apart 

 was by degrees extended, till, finally, the plants were 



