BELGIAN SYSTEM OF PLANTING ON TURFS. 153 



21. Belgian System of Planting on Turfs. 



( With Plates.) 

 By Sir John Stikling-Maxwell, Bart. 



In 1906 I contributed to this Journal an account ^ of the 

 method adopted for planting high moorlands in Belgium, and 

 described some experiments which had been begun on the same 

 lines at Corrour in Inverness-shire. It is too soon to pronounce 

 anything like a final opinion on these experiments either in 

 Belgium or Scotland, but some report may be welcome to a few 

 readers who have taken an interest in the subject. 



For the benefit of those who are not familiar with it, I may 

 here recapitulate the rudiments of the system, referring the 

 reader to the former article if more detail is required. The 

 ground is prepared some months before planting by cutting 

 shallow drains, the turfs from which are placed upside down in 

 rows between the drains. Each tree is planted on a turf in a 

 hole cut with a heavy trowel, ^ and is given two handfuls of such 

 soil, sand, or gravel as can be obtained near at hand, mixed 

 with a small proportion of basic slag or other manure, the plug 

 cut out by the trowel being broken up and used to fill up the 

 hole. This method is specially adapted for planting water- 

 logged peat. The advantages claimed for it, as compared with 

 notching, are : — 



(i) That smaller plants can be used. 



(2) That they begin to grow at once. 



(3) That they are not smothered by grass. 



(4) That they suffer less from drought and frost. 



(5) That they develop a better root-system. 



(6) That they are easier to beat up. 



The ultimate success depends upon the broad fact that most 

 kinds of peat, though utterly unsuitable for tree life in their 

 water-logged state, form very fair soils for several coniferous 

 species when air and water can circulate freely through them. 

 The lifted turfs achieve this desirable transformation in a few 

 months, and it extends gradually to the surrounding surface, as 



^ Vol. XX., page 4. 



- This tool is illustrated in the former article. It can be obtained from 

 Messrs P. & R. Fleming, 29 Argyle Street, Glasgow, price 7s. 



VOL. XXIII. PART II. L 



