62 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is turned over to decompose it. The foresters then wait from 

 one to three years before planting in the heaps, by which 

 time the turf, peat, and organic matters have formed a kind of 

 vegetable soil. The spruce, which is the species proved to be 

 successful, is put in as 4-year plants. When the heaps consist 

 almost entirely of peat they become dry, and the plant cannot 

 root itself. To deal with such difficulties experiments have been 

 carried out in a dozen areas by planting on heaps of different 

 sorts, as follows: — No. i. Ordinary heaps planted after two 

 years. No. 2. Half decomposed peat and earth brought to 

 the spot. No. 3. Decomposed peat mixed with the ashes of turf. 

 No. 4. Decomposed peat mixed with basic phosphate and 

 clinkers No. 5. Decomposed peat, earth, and basic phosphate. 

 No. 6. Decomposed peat, turf, ashes, and basic phosphate. No. 7. 

 No heaps, but planting direct on the peat after removing the turf. 

 No. 8, The same, with basic phosphate added. No. 9. Heaps 

 of earth brought to the spot. No. 10. Heaps of decomposed 

 peat mixed with lime (about a cubic metre to the acre, costing 

 40 francs). No. 11. Decomposed peat, earth, and lime (about 

 a cubic metre of lime to the acre, and twice as much earth). 

 No. 12. The same, with half quantities of lime and earth. Nos. i, 

 7 and 8 were complete failures ; the others were successful — 

 Nos. II and 12 especially so. The result of the use of lime or 

 basic phosphate mixed with earth is surprising. M. Crahay, 

 the author of the paper, considers that very few marshy and 

 peaty soils need now defeat us. If the author has been 

 correctly understood, there are even now quite old crops planted 

 in such conditions, which would prove that success is not con- 

 fined to the early years. It appears to be merely a question of 

 expense. 



5. It may be that an era of chemical manures for plantations, 

 or of the addition to the soil of special substances, is before us. 

 Anyhow, the results given by M. Mathey are remarkable. The 

 experiments have been in force on a large scale for several years 

 now, on the hills of Burgundy, at some 1000 to 1300 feet above 

 sea-level. The soil appears to be about as " ungrateful " as 

 possible, being rarely more than 5^ inches deep, over massive, un- 

 fissured rock. The plantations are made on raised ridges with 

 Austrian pine, spruce, and various broad-leaved trees. The 

 substances employed consist of clinkers, either pure or with a 

 mixture of kainit (two-third clinkers to one-third kainit). This 



