44 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Other pine cultivations in the same district. The initial cost of 

 cultivating with Kaehler's grubbing plough is perhaps somewhat 

 in excess of that with the forest or deep soil plough ; but any 

 practical forester knows that, in the latter case, the original cost 

 represents but a fraction of the total. The grubbing plough has 

 since been introduced into several forest divisions in the north 

 of Germany, but it is too early to expect detailed reports.^ 



2. On Methods of Planting. 



The answers to the ministerial inquiry contain, as yet, but 

 little information on planting with dry peat ; but, as far back as 

 1896, the late Dr Ebermayer made experiments on a fairly large 

 scale, adding a mixture of raw humus and sand in each plant- 

 hole. The results have proved entirely satisfactory, and show a 

 marked difference from the poor and disappointing cultivation 

 on adjacent unmanured ground. Numerous similar planting 

 operations were, in the course of years, carried out in the 

 Upper Palatinate and elsewhere with invariable success. 



It is evident that individual manuring is quite incompatible 

 with notch-planting. This ghastly, unnatural method has been 

 practised in Germany for nearly three score years and ten, and 

 even now dies hard and all too slowly. It was introduced because 

 it required the smallest initial outlay and was believed to save 

 time, and it was, for these reasons, adopted and prescribed in 

 numerous working-plans. Many years ago, some of Germany's 

 leading silviculturists protested against it, but cheapness carried 

 the day, and liberty in regard to individual action was then 

 much more restricted than now Of late years, a good many 

 foresters have obtained the best results from planting in dug-out 

 holes with properly chosen soil. Forstmeister Splettfloesser is 

 particularly qualified to lead a renewed attack on notch-planting, 

 as he has in his forest division over 2000 acres of Scots pine 

 planted in this manner, and has during the last twelve years 

 made this subject a special study. He has, during this time, 

 dug out annually thousands of dead, diseased, and sickening 

 young pines, has examined their root development at various 

 stages of growth from the age of one to twelve years, and has 

 compared it with that of trees of corresponding age naturally 

 reproduced or planted in holes. In the case of notch-planted 

 specimens, he invariably found a badly developed tap-root 

 ^ [We hope to see the Grubber tried at Inverliever. — Hon. Ed.] 



