252 TRANSACTIONS OP ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



had suffered in transit before they reached Knockboy, and were 

 taken charge of by the forester. I am inclined to think that 

 many of the plants must have arrived in a condition which made 

 them unfit to cope with conditions so unfavourable as those 

 found at Knockboy ; at least I cannot explain in any other way 

 why such species as alder, birch, and willow should have proved 

 such failures. 



2. Points to be considered in Planting in 

 County Galway. 



In considering the advisability, or otherwise, of continuing 

 planting operations in a district like County Galway, three main 

 points require special consideration, and these are, — 



(a) The salt spray carried inland by the sea winds. 



(b) The heavy westerly gales to which the district is exposed. 



(c) The boggy nature of the soil. 



As regards the first and second points, I arrived at definite 

 conclusions during my visit to Galway. The third point was of 

 a much more difficult nature, and I considered it desirable to go 

 and see some older plantations on bog lands of varying depth. 

 For this purpose I visited a number of places situated in the 

 North of Germany, between Bremen, Hamburg, and Cuxhaven 

 on the North Sea. There I examined plantations on bog lands 

 up to 24 feet deep, and I am now in a position to express a 

 definite opinion. 



(a) The Salt Spray. 



The strong westerly winds blowing direct from the sea are so 

 heavily laden with salt spray, that they exercise a most injurious 

 effect upon the young trees of most species. Indeed, the forester 

 of Knockboy informs me that, frequently after one day's gale, the 

 foliage of the plants looks burned up. The effect decreases with 

 the distance from the sea-shore, so that it is probably not felt 

 beyond five miles or so in a direct line from the sea. Un- 

 fortunately the whole of Knockboy is situated within that 

 distance. As far as the present experiment goes, it appears 

 that the effect is more severe in the case of broad-leaved species 

 than of conifers. At any rate, only the pines and spruce seem 

 to have withstood this injurious influence, but I should not be 



