227 
In the past the great. difficulty has been the proper draining and 
aerating of the ground at such a cost as would bring the work 
within the limits of practical commercial forestry, for, although in 
many cases proper draining would have been quite practicable, the 
cost was prohibitive. Onthe other hand, the opening of surface drains 
15 to 20 feet apart, which could be done at a small cost, had little 
effect in districts where the rainfall was heavy, consequently the 
ground never became suitable for tree growth. A certain amount 
of success has attended ridging, especially where the ground has not 
been very wet to begin with, but this method of planting is not 
applicable to all circumstances. 
planting. This consists of opening drains 6 or 8 feet apart and 
12 to 18 inches deep. The turves obtained during the process are 
laid face downwards at distances of 3 or 4 feet apart, the distance 
being regulated by the spacing of the trees. The turves are allowed 
to dry for several months, sometimes a year, during which time 
they become well aired and sweet. At planting time—April or 
May are considered the best months for the work—a circular hole 
is made in each turf. The soil removed is mixed with a handful or 
experimenting with the planting of bog-land on his - Inverness- 
shire estate at Fersit and Corrour, at altitudes varying between 
Society,” vol. xx, pp. 1-7. After a trial of three years the results 
1910, vol. xxiii, pp. 153-157, The results as published there give 
overwhelming evidence of the superiority of this method of culture 
over those already tried, while details of cost show that it is well 
within the bounds of practical forestry. A description of the 
experiments from notes made during a visit to the experimental 
area last June may also be found in the Kew Bulletin, 1910, 
pp- 242-243. : : : 
The kindness of Sir John Stirling Maxwell in_ presenting speci- 
mens of young trees grown under both old and new systems 
culture, for the Forestry Museum at Kew, has been the eatin’ of 
obtaining the accompanying photographs. The iueaplts Sire rngeel 
tory remarks about the plants figured have been furnished by 
Mr. D. Grant, forester to Sir John at Fersit :-— ae 
“No, 1. Sitka spruce raised in Pollok seed beds, and lin 
one year in Fersit nursery. Planted on turf (Belgian bese 
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