554 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
makes itself felt, and the young trees become weak and puny. It should 
also be remembered that decomposed crganic matter, under the infiu- 
ences of heat, light, and the atmosphere, give out, among other things 
ammoniacal matters and carbonie acid, which are lost in great part if 
they do not come into contact with a vehicle or substance which will 
retain them. Covered by the soil they find this vehicie. 
The cork tree needs some shelter during the first few years of its 
growth. ff this is too great, the tree droops and finally dies. Hence 
the different results obtained from any one or the other of the various 
methods of preparing the lands for planting. To plant by sowing broad- 
cast after the land has been plowed has the disadvantage of encouraging 
the growth of shrubs and weeds, and their development being more 
rapid than that of the cork trees, the latter are seriously injured. The 
mode ef planting by making small excavations here and there and put- 
ting an acorn into each is open to the same objection. From motives of 
economy, as will be shown later, and also to protect the young trees 
from the ill-effects of the growth of weeds and shrubs, the “furrow” or 
“belt” system of planting has been adopted. This consists in planting 
the cork trees in rows, with one or more rows of grape-vines between. 
The rows of vines are from five to seven feet apart, and the acorns are 
planted in a furrow drawn between. The acorns and vines are planted 
at the same time. The former may be placed from 20 to 40 inches apart. 
When the young trees are sufficiently grown they may be thinned out 
until a sufficient number is left. 
In acork plantation of this kind near Palafrugell, province of Gerona, 
the cork trees, which are about twenty years old, have an average diam- 
eter of nearly 4 inches. 
In 1830 Mr. Reig, in a letter addressed to the Royal and Central Agri- 
cultural Society of France, said that he planted, in 1817, one hundred 
and fifty ares (119.6 square yards each) with acorns of the cork tree, 
with alternate rows of grape-vines, with such good results that the 
yield of the vines more than paid for the cost of the cork plantation. 
He recommended that this plan should be adopted to introduce the cork 
tree into tie thinly settled portions of the south of France. Mr. Reig 
left spaces of 6 feet between his trees. Their height at the date of his 
letter was 9 feet, with a circumference, at the base of the trunk, of 3 
inches. The land on which they were grown was of the poorest descrip- 
tion, sloping, and with onky 6 inches of soil. 
Up to twenty or twenty-five years the ground should be cultivated as 
if it was a vineyard only, taking care not to injure the young trees. In 
this way the weeds and shrubs will be kept under. At the end of this 
time the cork trees will be sufficiently grown not to need shelter, which, 
indeed, the vines will no longer be able toafford. On the contrary, they 
will become the victims of the excess of shade given by the cork trees, 
and will have to give way to them. 
It is usual to cultivate these mis xed plantations twice a year, once in 
January, and again in the spring. The earth should be stirred with a 
pay and the weeds and brush rooted up and burned if they are hurtful 
and do not readily rot, or buried with their roots if their decomposi- 
tion will furnish good Ti nanure. 
Under certain circumstances other methods might be advantageously 
followed in the preparation of the soil and the disposition of the young 
trees. In this paper the author proposes to lay down general principles 
and precepts rather than precise details and Instructions, which, in his 
opinion, would be impossible in view of the complex nature of the con- 
ditions ‘under consideration. it cannot be absolutely stated that any 
