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to the islanders, or whether the project was doomed to failure. 

 In any case, if proper records were kept, the experiment would 

 be of considerable value in the event of future operations of 

 the same nature being suggested. 



In order that any experiments that may be contemplated 

 should not fail through want of proper attention to details, it 

 is desirable that an intelligent man should be appointed who 

 would be able to give his whole time to the work and be able 

 to keep proper records. A young man with practical knowledge 

 of forest work at a high elevation in the West Highlands of 

 Scotland or on the mountains of Wales would be desirable, moiv 

 particularly a man who was capable of training youths in all 

 kinds of practical work, i.e., seed sowing, nursery planting, 

 permanent planting, preparing ground, fencing, draining, road- 

 making, &c. 



The provision of shelter appears to be the key to successful 

 tree planting in the Falklands for, given shelter from wind, 

 other conditions of climate and soil can be met. The only 

 native plant that can be depended upon for shelter is Veronica 

 elliytica, and the maximum height of that plant is barely 7 ft. 

 For shelter purposes the height may be taken as from 4 to 5 ft. 

 There are other native shrubby plants growing from 1 to 4 

 ft. high which may also be of some value for certain places." 

 Fortunately the common Gorse grows well in the Islands. It 

 is a good shelter plant and in addition to being used for hedges, 

 seed might be sown over land to be planted with trees two or 

 three years in advance of the trees. Land that is already 

 covered with Gorse could be dealt with immediately. In 

 addition, various subjects such as those mentioned by Mr. Blake 

 might be procured from Tierra del Fuego. Bound the outskirts 

 of a plantation a belt of Gorse or Veronica as dense as possible 

 should be formed. The accompanying photograph gives a good 

 idea of the value of Gorse as a hedge plant for the Falklands. 

 The outer belt for a plantation should be 6 or 8 ft. wide, or 

 perhaps a little wider on the side of the prevailing wind. 

 Behind this the shelter plants should be thin enough to allow 

 of trees being planted 3 ft. apart. This distance is approximate, 

 and it may be found advisable to have small groups of shelter 

 plants with young trees in between or even parallel, narrow 

 hedges 12 to 20 ft. apart. In no case, however, ought the 

 shelter plants to be allowed to form large gaps amongst the 

 trees. They are simply to protect the young trees for a few years, 

 afterwards they must provide their own shelter, which they are 

 best able to do by forming a dense mass of branches. It is not 

 advisable to form a straight boundary line to a plantation, an 

 undulating outline often forming a better wind-break in 

 addition to presenting a better apOearanee. 



In places where the soil is naturally of a loamy or sandy 

 nature and is naturally drained, it can be prepared for planting 

 with little trouble. If clear of bushes it may be ploughed or 

 turned over by some other means, but when bushes exist the 

 intervening spaces should be dug, removing at the same time 

 any plants not required for shelter. When the ground is 

 naturally wet, open drains, 15 in. wicte and If to 2 ft. deep. 



