4 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOITISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



immune from weevil attack even if the ground is left fallow for 

 three or four years. 



Again taking present-day prices the difference in the cost of 

 the plants would be the difference between 40s. and 15s., which 

 is a very considerable one. 



Coming next to the various methods of planting, I question 

 if one can economise much in that region. So much depends 

 on the nature of the soil. It would, for instance, be false 

 economy to notch where pitting should be adopted, but 

 I do think a saving could be effected if more of the work in 

 connection with afforestation was done by contract instead of 

 days' pay. Every forester should encourage the young men on 

 his staff to work by contract, plant at so much per acre, drain at 

 so much per chain, and erect fences at so much per yard. It 

 would be an inducement to the men to make the most they 

 could out of it. It would increase their interest in the work, 

 and would in the end conduce to a better output. 



Then with regard to fencing there is surely room for practising 

 economy here. Most of the fencing in the past has, in my 

 opinion, been far too elaborate. P'oresters got into the habit of 

 driving in stobs at 6 feet intervals, quite regardless of the nature 

 of the stock the fence was supposed to keep in check. I have 

 not infrequently seen fences erected to separate two portions of 

 a plantation, as for instance between a newly-cleared area and 

 the remainder of the standing crop, where probably a hare 

 would be the heaviest animal which could come against it, but 

 that did not matter in the least, the stobs had to be driven in 

 at the usual distance apart, with at least four lines of wires and 

 wire-netting attached. Now we must admit that that kind of 

 fencing is costly and absurd. Would not the same result be 

 obtained by placing the stobs at 24 or even 30 feet apart with 

 wooden droppers between, and with at the very most three lines 

 of wire. Even against ordinary farm stock, if the line of fence 

 is comparatively straight and the surface of the ground fairly 

 level, a very efficient fence may be provided by placing the 

 stobs at 24 feet intervals with four wooden droppers between, 

 straining posts at 200 yards apart, and six lines of No. 8 

 galvanised wire. 



When fencing high and exposed ground there is a prevailing 

 idea that the fence, whether of wood or iron, must be of a much 

 heavier type than that required for more sheltered situations, 



