ON PLANTING WASTE LAND FOR PROFIT. 183 



XIV. On Planting Waste Land for Profit. 

 By George U. Macdonald, Forester, Raith, Fifeshire. 



Having fixed on an area for planting, the boundary line must 

 first be carefully surveyed and pegged out for fencing, as the 

 future welfare of a plantation is considerably affected by the way 

 in which the boundary is laid down, especially on high and 

 exposed lands. 



Shelter. — The planter therefore should first of all study the 

 physical geography of the district and ascertain the points from 

 which the most destructive winds blow. He should then, whenever 

 possible, lay the widest side of the enclosure facing the prevailing 

 wind, giving the boundary line on that side a bold convex form. 

 Long straight lines should always be avoided on exposed land, as 

 the wind strikes on these with unbroken force ; whereas a line 

 thrown well outwards breaks the force of the wind by dividing it 

 to right and left. 



The boundary line being fixed, the land must next be enclosed 

 with a fence suitable to the local conditions. 



Stone-and-Wire Fencing. — If a fence is required on exposed 

 land to act as a shelter for the young plants, then we would 

 recommend a dry-stone dyke, provided stones can be got within 

 a reasonable distance. A dyke 3^^ feet high, including cope- 

 stone, with three wires on the top, is the most durable of all 

 plantation fences. It should have a firm foundation, with a base- 

 course 32 inches wide, and should be built with a regular batter, 

 having a through-band stone at every 3 feet, to a width of about 14 

 inches at the cope, which should be bedded in lime, and pointed. 



The standards for the wires should be set 36 feet apart, and 

 firmly batted into the through-band stones. Straining pillars 

 should be set at about 180 yards apart, and iron droppers firmly 

 wedged to the wires every 6 feet. Provided stones are got 

 within a reasonable distance, and taking cartage and labour at 

 an average rate, this class of fence can be erected in a workmanlike 

 manner for is. lod. per lineal yard. 



Turf-Dyke and Wire-Fencing. — Where shelter is necessary, and 

 stones are scarce, a single turf-dyke with three wires on the top 

 is the best fence. On the outside of this dyke there should be 

 a ditch 5^ feet wide at top, 2\ feet wide at bottom, and about 

 2 feet deep. The turf used in building the dyke is cut to about 



