Editors Box. 435 



planting is to be done. It is too often the case that all that is considered 

 necessary is to dig a rough hole about a foot square, put in the young 

 plant or tree, tread the earth in around it, and consider the work done, 

 and as year after year passes by to wonder why the trees make little or no 

 growth ! 



About twelve years ago I entered the service of a gentleman in the south 

 of England, and he having determined to make a considerable number of 

 clumps or plantations on various parts of the estate, especially on those 

 parts near to and surrounding the mansion, it fell to my lot to see to the 

 work being done in a proper manner. I advised my employer to have the 

 whole of the ground trenched two feet deep, which he at once agreed to 

 have done. The soil varied from good loam to stiff clay, and in some parts 

 a shallow sandy soil resting on rock, the stone cropping up in places at less 

 than a foot deep. Before the work of trenching was completed my employer 

 was advised by a person in whom he had great confidence, that I was 

 putting him to a great deal of unnecessary expense, and that if holes were 

 dug two feet wide and one foot deep it would answer the purpose, and act 

 as well as the trenching I was giving it. I protested against this, but 

 without avail, and so the trenching was stopped, and holes were dug in the 

 remainder of the ground, and the young trees were planted. They consisted 

 of spruce and Scotch fir, birch, elm, and poplar, as well as various kinds of 

 dwarf shrabs, all being alike strong and healthy plants. The planting was 

 done in Xovember, and every tree lived for the first two years, ad 

 appearing to flourish alike ; but then we had a very dry, hot summer, when 

 a change came quickly over the scene. Where the soil was trenched tlie 

 trees seemed to revel in the heat, and sent their roots deep down into the 

 good soil prepared for them, while the plantations not trenched appeared 

 scorched and stunted and all growth stopped, many of the trees dying right 

 out, and those that remained alive never recovered their former vigour. 



On my present employer purchasing the estate we had the whole of the 

 ground trenched between the trees still alive, but while this improved them 

 very much none of them have reached half the girth of those originally 

 planted on the trenched ground, many of which, on my leaving two years 

 ago, were a foot through the stem, and pictures of health and beauty. _ 



My object in this letter has been to show that, in order to obtain the 

 greatest success in tree or shrub planting, the soil must be well prepared 

 before hand, and if this is not attended to but very little satisfaction will 

 be obtained from the result ; at least, such is the experience of 



The Squiee's Old Gardeneh. 



CLEARING PLANTATION GROUND. 



Sir, — Your correspondent ]\I.R. asks the price per root it would cost by 

 using one or other of the following explosives, dynamite, tonite, or gun- 

 powder, in clearing land of tree stumps : — 



Much, of course, would depend upon the size of the stump, and the 

 number of large roots by which it is held in the ground. I have had a 



