April 2,- 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



78? 



potatoes. lu coujuiictiou vvitlv nitrate of soda, superphos- 

 phate gave the higliest j-ield of marketable tubers, but 

 with sulphate of ammonia it did badly. 



Next to the pre-emineuce giveu to kainit, perhaps the 

 most importiuit feature brought out is the very poor re- 

 sults reaUsed by the nitrogeuous manures, nitrate of soda 

 and sulphate oi" ammonia. By themselves it will be seen 

 that they gave very small y.iel(ls—ju<leed, much behnv the 

 plot that received no raaniire at all — iu potatoi's of a 

 marketable' quality. When given along with inorganic 

 manures thae did" no better, having evidently, to some 

 extent, neutralised the good influence of those. 



Dr. Cameron analysed the sound potatoes from each 

 plot, and the percentage of lUy matter varied somewhat. 

 Tlie plot dressed with . nitrate o'f soda and superphosphate 

 stand highest, with 28-60, aud the others follow in this 

 order : The plot dressed with kainit, niti-ate of sodium, 

 sulphate of ammonia and superphosphate, 28' 12 : the plot 

 di'essed with sulphate of ammonia, alone, 28' 12 ; that with 

 kainit, sulphate of anunonia, aud superphosphate 27'')0 : 

 that «-ith superphosphate alone, 27'0-l; that with niti-ate of 

 soda alone, 27'UO ; that with kainit aud superphosx^hate, 

 27'0O, no manure, 215-90 ; sulphate af ammonia and super- 

 phosphate, 26-10 ; kainit alolie, 2.5-80 ;' and kainit, nitrate of 

 soda, aud superphosphate, 24-30. 



The column showing the quantity of diseased tubers 

 does not bi-ing out very startling results. It is curious to 

 note that the nitrogenous manm-es produced little or no 

 disease, "wliile kainit shows about 7 per cent, of disease — 

 a circumstance contrary to pre\'ious experience. — Field. 



COST OF HILL TLANTINO IN SCOTLAND. 



The season for planting is now approaching, and while 

 planters are busy making arrangements for having the 

 work done, the question, What will it coSt y will no doubt 

 often be asked, and the answers will vary, not only according 

 to the situation and natm-e of the ground to be planted 

 but also according to the methods that each planter 

 may purpose to adopt. As a few a.scertained facts are 

 of more value than any number of theories, the following 

 statements, which have been received from one of the 

 most extensive and successfij planters in Aberdeensliii-e 

 may be interestuig to tht readers of the Jmi,nhtd of Forestry. 



'* It is now about forty years siuct! I began to plant 

 and with the exception of the year 184(), I have planted 

 every season more or less since then. During that time 

 I have contracted for, and had the charge of planting 

 about nine thousand acres, principally in Aberdeensliire 

 and all tliis has been doue with the ' and-u-on.' * The 

 number of plants used has been fi-om ., ;J,000 : to 3,.500 

 per acre, .so that that extent of gi-oiunl has required 

 aljout thii-ty million of plants, the sixth part of which, 

 or five million, have been plantexl n-ith my own hand. 

 During the fii-st twenty years the plants used were all 

 twQ-year-olil seedlings, aud the cost of planting, hiclwlhtf/ 

 pfitnl^ and cari'uitje of plants^ was fi-om twelve to four- 

 teen shiUings per acre. The lowest rate at which I ever 

 planted wiis ten shillings per acre: and that was for 



about two hunilred acres on the hill of H in the parish 



of L . This plantation, which is now in a very thi-i\ing 



state, was planted with two-year seedlings and required 



lu) upmaking. The hill of B in the parish of O. M , 



containing IXi acres, was planted with two-year seedlings 

 Scots Fir aud Larch for l.'ls. per acre ; the whole of the 

 planting being done by four men and myself in three treeX's 

 /hiiltlirte itdi/^. This is now a healthy and VaUiableplantation. 



" During the last twenty years I have used a good 

 many transplanted plants — i. c. two-year seedlings, one-year 

 transplanted Scots Fir — especially where herbage was rank ; 

 consequently, owing to the increased cost of plants, and 

 the rise in workmen's wages, the contract price (jf planting 

 has gradually risen, aud has ranged from 20s. to 30fi. per 

 acre, and in a few cases such as at R — "W^— in the jjarish 



of A planted iu 1870-77, the pi-ice' has been, owing 



to the size of plants and qu.ality of the ground, as high 

 as 42s. per acre. Between 186.5 and 1870 the Hill of 



containing 4.50 acres was planted with two-thirds 



Scots Fir and one-thii-d Larch for 22s. (id. ]>er acre ; and 

 in 1871-72 the hill of M- in the, parish of R was 



* For a description of the "hand-iron" see " Grigor's 



Arboriculture," p.j 54. ,-■■,'. 



planted for 25s. ipei' acre. The extensive plantations on 



the estate of O. F w«jre done for about the same 



price, while those on the estate of O. M in Aberdeenshire 



and on the estatt; of T— ^ — r in Kincardineshire have ranged 

 from 2.'5s. to 30s. — the latter price having been got for 

 planting ground tJint hail priniously growji a ei-op of Scots- 

 Fir, and whia-e there was a risk of ilauiage being done- 

 by grounil game. In most cases 1 have undertaken to^ 

 nvike good all failures that occur during the first three 

 years, except such as. are cau.sed by gi-ounil game, 6re. 

 ax- the inroads of cattle aud sheep." 



The,se . statements may sei-m startling to many of your 

 readers, but they are not singular, as in " Grigor's Arbori- 

 culture," pages 56 and 5.s, examples of contract planting 

 are given at! 10s. and .10s...6d. per Scotch acre, in the 

 year 1830, while at ipage 62 other examples are given 

 at 16s. and 19s. per acre, and it is importannt to note 

 that the same system is still practised in the north, though 

 at advanced rates. Of coiu-se it must be understood that 

 this moile of planting is only suited for hill ground, where 

 the heather is short and the soil tree and open. The 

 person whose e.xperience I have quoted above, states 

 " the greatest difficulties that I have had to contend with 

 ai-e where the gi-ound has a close gi-assy surface." It 

 must also be understood that the prices given above are 

 ordy for plants, and planting, and to this n>ust be added 

 the cost of enclosing and di-ainage where necessary. Still, 

 with these items added the, cost of planting ordinary hill 

 gromid will not exceed from 30s. to 40s. jjer acre or 

 .say 500 acres planted aud enclosed for less than £1,000. 

 Surely that ought to be an iuducement to proprietors 

 in the north of Scotlaud. to plant suitable portions of 

 then- hill ground. — Box-.^cconD. — Jounial of Forestry. 



, ■ 1 ■ ■ ♦ '■■■ . 



Trees to India by Mail. — A Western nurseryman writes 

 us, that few jjeoiJe are aware how far youg trees can 

 be sent by mail ivith .safety. Young seedling Evergreens 

 are sent to England and the Continent, and deciduous 

 trees much fiu-ther. A package of young trees, of C'atalpa 

 speciosa, packed nearly dry, was sent to India with direc- 

 tions to bury the trees for 10 days after their arrival. 

 The Conservator of Forests wi-ote that the trees opened, 

 perfectly fresh, but he bui-ied them for five days, and 

 planted them ; they .all grew finely. — American Agrictdturi^i. 

 Wood Bei'Ter Than Iron. — Though it may appear pecuUar 

 a Philadelphia paper states that it is a matter of fact 

 that many New England builders contend that the wood 

 joists, encased in plaster, are proof against any ordinary 

 fii-e, and for many reasons ' are much preferred by them 

 to the ordinary regulation fireproof u-ou joists. The joists 

 are " .stripped " on the outside, aud over these strips irons 

 are run, and on these the plaster is .spread. The theory 

 is that in an ordinary fire the.se joists thus treated will 

 be fireproof, aud only when the fire has reached such 

 a fiu-y that the building must go any way will they 

 be affected. Here comes in one of the advantages claimed 

 for them. AVheu a building is being burned by a furious 

 fire the iron joists expand and crush out the walls and 

 do other d.amage. The wood joist's would simply be burned 

 up without injuring the walls at all. — dournai of Fore.stri/. 

 rEELiNO B.VRK BY HEA'r. — Dr. Hough says that the in- 

 convenience of crowding the work of peeling oak hark 

 into a busy season of the year has led to the mtroduetion 

 of a process in Europe by the .aid of which this work 

 can be done at all seasons of the year. The apparatus 

 consists of several large iron receivers of thin plate iron 

 strong enough to be,<ir a mwlerate strain, and air-ti<'ht! 

 The ' wood is placed in these, and steam at about 338 

 degrees Fahrenheit is admitteil from a boiler so placed 

 as to serve several of these receivers. They hold about 

 half a cord each, and the time required varies from an 

 hour and a h.alf to two hours and a- half, according to 

 the season when the wood is cut. It is then taken out 

 and peeled. If the heat is continued too long the bark 

 again boccmies adherent. One great advantage to be gained 

 by this process in-the working of eojipice-wood is that 

 it is not necessary to cut the wood at the season when 

 the greatest injury is done to the stumps that are to 

 .send u]) a new growth. Carefid exjierimeuts have been 

 made by order of the French and Prus.siau governments 

 upon "the (piality of the bark thus peeled, with favourable 

 results. — Cliicago Lionbernian. 



