TRANSACTIONS 
OF THE 
ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
XXIII. Zhe Possibilities of Artificial Manures in Forestry. 
By A. W. Bortuwick, D.Sc., 
Honorary Consulting Cryptogamist to the Society. 
The use of artificial manures in agriculture and horticulture 
has nowadays become so general that we may safely say its 
value is unquestioned and universally recognised ; but it is only 
within comparatively recent years that any serious attempt has 
been made to test their value in forestry, and, like all experiments 
in connection with sylviculture, progress has of necessity been 
very slow. Nevertheless we are, at the present day, in possession 
of sufficient evidence to warrant a very hopeful outlook in the 
future. In the course of this lecture I hope to be able to show that 
the subject deserves serious attention on the part of all foresters. 
Since artificial manures became so easily obtainable in large 
quantities, their possible value and utilisation in forestry has been 
tested. As far back as 1869 Dr Giersberg obtained highly satis- 
factory results in pine-tree nurseries with Peruvian guano. The 
year 1880 saw several important experiments begun in different 
German forests. Also at that time in Belgium artificial manures 
were, in many cases, used in the afforestation of large areas; also 
certain societies in Belgium and Schleswig-Holstein were testing 
the value of artificial manures in forest nurseries. The success 
which attended those earlier experiments created no little interest 
at the time, with the result that they were continued. In 
1891 appeared Schwappach’s publication on the use of arti- 
ficial manures, and this was quickly followed (1893) by Ober- 
foérster Ramm’s pamphlet on the use of manures in forestry, 
which gave a great stimulus to the subject. Further, many 
' Lecture delivered at the Annual General Meeting of the Society, 
2nd February 1906. The lecture was illustrated by numerous lantern 
illustrations. 
VOL. XIX. PART II. R 
