nicol's planter's' calendar. 175 



Acorns, Chestnuts, and other large seeds, may be 

 economically sown in drill : where the soil contains^ 

 much annual weed seed, this admits of expeditious 

 cleaning by the hoe. Ground which has borne a 

 crop of potatoes the preceding season, is unfit for 

 seed-beds, as the tubers and seed of the potato give 

 much trouble. 



These are the chief of Mr Bang's directions on 

 raising timber-plants. With the exception of kiln- 

 drying of cones, and being rather too prodigal of 

 manure to the seed-beds (perhaps necessary in a sale 

 nursery), we see nothing in the volume to censure. — 

 A premium should be offered for a convenient plan 

 of distributing fir-seed suitably in the seed-bed, 

 without the aid of artificial drying. 



It is perhaps unnecessary to state, that, in the 

 culture of trees, there are thousands of incidental 

 circumstances to which general directions will not 

 apply, and which demand a discriminating judgment 

 in the operator ; this acts as a school to the mental 

 acumen ; and there is no class of operative men^ 

 which has the faculties of attention, activity, discri- 

 mination, and judgment, more developed, than nm- 

 serymen and gardeners, — whose diversified labours^ 

 requiring, at the same time, constant mental and 

 corporeal exertion, keep up a proper balance of the 

 human powers. 



