24 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



silver fir. The strip is 60 feet wide, and a planting distance of 

 6 feet has been adopted. 



As to the experiments regarding methods of planting, the 

 plots as a whole were planted by the method called "holing," 

 the work being done with a heavy, narrow-bladed hoe, or 

 mattock, followed by a trowel to aid in the insertion of the 

 plants. Tests were, however, made with ordinary notching, 

 and vertical notching. Under the holing system, gorse and 

 other weeds were removed from a patch about 15 inches square 

 before the soil was stirred with the mattock. The plants, 

 therefore, made a better start, and this advantage has been 

 maintained as compared with the notched-in plants. Common 

 spade notching resulted in a greater number of deaths and 

 entailed more expense in weeding. This, as well as the effect 

 on height-growth, will be seen from the table given below. 



Vertical notching was carried out with a heavy iron wedge- 

 shaped implement, and 2-year seedling plants were used. 

 The ground is not really suitable for vertical notching, being 

 too stony and the herbage too rough. Still excellent results 

 have been obtained with the larch, and the Scots pine has 

 done moderately well. The small plants of spruce have, 

 however, been almost entirely crowded out by the grass and 

 gorse. This result being anticipated, a planting distance of 

 3 feet, instead of the usual 4 feet, was resorted to, so that 

 there is still a sufficient number of plants to the acre. 



As rainfall has such an important influence on tree-growth, 

 it was thought desirable to keep records at a point as close 

 to the area as could be conveniently arranged. Daily observa- 

 tions have been taken since March 1907. Details are given 

 below of the rainfall for each month from January 1908, 



