THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANTATION MARGINS. 157 



the formation of strong roots and side branches, in order that 

 they may be able to withstand the storms and protect the 

 interior. 



A good margin may be said to be of the same importance 

 to a plantation as a good foundation is to a building, for in 

 either case the one is entirely dependent on the other. 



Our country is being rapidly denuded of its forests, and the 

 question of reafforestation is now being seriously considered, 

 and large areas will be afforested as soon as the state of the 

 country will admit. It is not the object of this paper to point 

 out by what means new forests are to be formed. Many pro- 

 posals are being made, such as State assistance, State afforesta- 

 tion, remission of taxation, etc. But* in whatever way new 

 forests are to be formed, there is only one object in view, namely, 

 the production of the greatest quantity of the most valuable 

 timber. It is quite true that our country is capable of producing 

 timber equally suitable for most of the purposes to which the 

 foreign article has been applied, and it is surely a national 

 disgrace not to do it. 



Foreign timber is valued for its length of clean scantling and 

 its closeness of grain. In producing this class of timber, the 

 trees must of necessity be reared in close order, so that the side 

 branches get suppressed before they attain to large size. In 

 this way long, clean, and close-grained timber will be the 

 result. It is evident, then, that trees reared in this order can 

 ill withstand a vigorous climate, and to enable us to train up 

 trees in this fashion some form of protection against the 

 impetuous blast must be provided. Unless plantations are 

 naturally sheltered, the only artificial means within our power 

 is the formation of strong margins or shelter-belts. The ad- 

 vantages of a good margin will greatly depend upon the suit- 

 ability of the trees forming it, while climate, altitude, exposure, 

 and proximity to the sea must all be taken into consideration 

 in choosing suitable species. The manner of planting the 

 margins may be the same as the interior, except that I would 

 like to say one word against the barbarous method of notch- 

 planting. Under this system the roots are badly twisted and 

 unable to develop evenly around the plant ; consequently the 

 trees are permanently less firmly rooted than those with equally 

 developed roots. Happily this method of planting is now 

 being superseded by the semicircular spade. Under this system 



