378 EDITOR'S BOX. [Maech, 



the time of a severe drought, I had occasion to be on that portion 

 of the famed Culbin Sands which belongs to the estate of Moy, 

 and was surprised to fiud the annual growths of Scotch Fir 

 plants to be from twelve to eighteen inches, and that on elevations 

 of two to three hundred feet of pure sand, the only protection being 

 pieces of brush here and there to keep the sand from drifting. On 

 inspecting an unprotected place on the face of one of these hills, I 

 found that moisture was within three-quarters of an inch of the 

 surface. On the same day I found the drought had penetrated fully 

 three inches in a fertile grass field. 



At one time I was somewhat of ' Bannockburn's ' opinion, and had a 

 small patch of about forty acres planted with Scotch Fir, the grassy 

 portion of which turned out a complete failure. I chanced to be on this 

 place the day after a rain of seven hours' duration, and found that 

 half an inch below the surface the earth was dry as ashes, whereas, 

 among heather and bare ground, it had gone down from two to three 

 inches. 



There are two simple reasons why moisture should be deficienb 

 under a strong grassy surface : 1, very little rain gets down ; 2, 

 what does get down is quickly absorbed by the numerous grass roots. 

 Should my practical theory not be sufficient for your respected 

 correspondent, I trust lie will imitate the great hero of ' Bannockburn ' 

 by returning to the charge. Taimas. 



Stanedike, Feb. 14, 1884. 



Sir, — When penning my last communication to you on this sub- 

 ject I did not contemplate returning to it. ' Bannockburn,' however, 

 thinks my recommendations on turf paring, for notch planting, lohere 

 a close grassy vegetation exists, so ' thoroughly wrong,' and, more- 

 over, the reasons he adduces in support of his opinion are, in my 

 opinion, so contrary to fact, that I venture to again trouble you with 

 a short note. 



* Bannockburn ' states in support of his opinion, ' that the greater 

 part of the land devoted to planting in this country is of a thin un- 

 culturable' character, and that if you pare off the surface there is 

 nothing left to hold the plant.' Well, I would ask him, is the 

 vegetation in these places such as I refer to ? Certainly not ! Instead 

 of a close grassy vegetation, he will invariably find short heather, or 

 a moss-covered surface, and if there is any grass at all, it is generally, 

 if not always, so thin and stunted that none of the evils to which I 

 have already referred arise from its presence. Paring is therefore on 

 such lands unnecessary if not prejudicial. But I would ask your 



