SEASON OF TLANTING. 



143 



The plants may have the extremities of their 

 fibres shortened a little with a very sharp knife, but 

 the greatest care must be taken not to touch the 

 woody part of the roots. 



SECTION III. 



SEASON OF PLANTING— DISTANCES AND ORDER OF 

 THE PLANTS— ROADS IN PLANTATIONS. 



The most general opinion seems to be, that it is 

 better to plant in autumn than in spring. When 

 the land is naturally dry, and has a good cover on 

 its surface, this opinion is no doubt correct. But 

 in wet and swampy soils, as well as in land, whether 

 moist or dry, whose surface is bare, I would be in- 

 clined to prefer the spring. Wet land swells with 

 the frost to such a degree, that plants which have 

 not had time to take a firm hold with their roots, 

 are almost inevitably thrown out. This effect of- 

 ten takes place, as well in the nursery as in newly 

 formed plantations ; and it is one that requires to 

 be sedulously guarded against, as it not only renders 

 the labour of planting abortive, but destroys the 

 plants themselves. Dry ground, as has already 



