44 TEEE CriTrRE IN SOUTH AUSTEALIA. 



the roots, when the trees are planted. Where there is a dens® mass of 

 native vegetation, it will be found that considerable difficulty will be ex- 

 perienced in rearing flourishing plantations on the site, as this will take 

 up all the noxirishment to the exclusion of the young trees. Where 

 the soil is of a clay nature, this herbage will of course be destroyed by the 

 ploughing, as advised ; but where the site is of a sandy nature and liable 

 to drift, the herbage is of course of value to prevent the soil from shifting, 

 and it should therefore be retained. In this case, therefore, it is advisable 

 to destroy the herbage immediately round the plants only, and to leave 

 the ground betwixt the rows in a perfectly undisturbed state. In sandy 

 sites, the holes for the plants need not be opened untU planting season ; 

 they should, however, be of about the same size as recommended for 

 clayey soils. 



Kinds of Trees to Plant. — There is, unfortunately, not a very extensive 

 selection of trees which are known to do well in situations near the sea- 

 coast. Such as I shall give, however, have been well tried in different 

 parts of the world, and may, therefore, be accepted as suitable for the 

 purpose. (See Chapter XXXV. for this list.) 



Description of Plants. — For sea-side planting it is necessary to success 

 that the plants used be specially prepared for the purpose, so 

 that they may possess plenty of strong fibrous roots, be well-branched, 

 sturdy, and have a hardy constitution. It would be mere waste of 

 money and labor to plant trees on such sites which have been tenderly 

 reared and nourished. This is a matter of very great importance, and 

 ought never to be neglected in the formation of sea-side plantations. All 

 the deciduous trees, and others which will bear moving readily, should be 

 .transplanted tiuice in the nursery before they are put out into their 

 permanent sites, and the second operation of this kind ought to be in an 

 open piece of ground, where they should stand well clear of one another 

 in the rows in order that they may get well-branched and symmetrical 

 in shape. Again, where the plants have to be grown in pots, they should 

 be re-potted two or three times, and on each occasion into a pot of a larger 

 size than the previous one. The plants must not be allowed to get pot- 

 bound. Plants of this class should also be reared in the open-air as 

 much as possible, and in an open and somewhat airy place. 



When to Plant. — The trees to be planted on such sites, being 

 Conifer w and Deciduous kinds chiefly, and hardy, may be put out 

 in their sites immediately after the rains of winter have fairly begun, 

 say about the middle of June; but this, of com-se, will depend very 

 much upon the local climate of the district in which the planting is to 

 be done. If planted early in the season the trees will have all the better 

 chance of getting settled Aowa. into their sites, so that they may be in a 

 position to make an early start in spring, and thus get thoroughly 

 established in the soil before the summer droughts set in. 



^020 to Plant. — Too much care cannot be displayed in the operation 

 of _ planting the young trees out into their sites. Some nicely prepared 

 soil, with a little manure in it, should be put all round the roots of the 

 plants as they are inserted ; indeed, if possible, the holes made for the 

 trees in very sandy sites should be filled up chiefly with prepared soil of 



