82 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH Akl',OKICUI/lLRAI. SOCIKTY. 



Classification of Soils. — To return to the subject of soils, 

 I may class them thus: — Clays, loams, gravelly and sandy 

 soils, chalky or calcareous, and peaty soils. To give a list 

 of trees suited to each class of soil would take too much time, 

 and it would be difficult to remember them all after having 

 heard them. Sufficient it is to say that there is a long list 

 for every soil, quite long enough at least to form a fair-sized 

 arboretum. Webster's Foresters' Diary is a very useful book 

 for helping one in this way. 



Arrangement. — Another great point is the arrangement of 

 the species. Some trees are fast growing from the start, for 

 instance, the Oregon variety of Douglas fir, or the Japanese 

 larch. Others, such as the silver fir, are slow growing in their 

 early stages, but grow eventually to a great height. The 

 trees should be divided into different classes, and planted in 

 different groups, all the fast-growing ones together, and all the 

 slower-growing ones together. It would be a pity to surround 

 a silver fir with trees such as the Douglas fir and larch, as it 

 would never be seen, even at a short distance, for many years, 

 and it would appear as though there were a blank. I would 

 suggest that the tallest and fastest growing trees be placed in 

 the background, or in the centre of a group, with the others 

 graduated down to the outside, with perhaps a border of 

 flowering shrubs. Conifers and hardwoods could be judiciously 

 mixed so as to make a good show of colour all the year round. 



Distance apart. — As to the distance at which to place the 

 trees apart, there can be no hard and fast rule. The smaller 

 shrubs might be planted from 6 to 8 feet apart. A tree with 

 a large spreading crown, such as the sycamore, would need 

 from 24 to 36 feet of space, whereas a tree of the spruce tribe 

 would be content with 18 to 20 feet. 



In the early stages the intervals could be filled up with larch 

 or birch, which would act as nurses to the more expensive 

 trees, and should be cut out gradually as the latter spread their 

 branches; or the spaces could be filled with flowering shrubs, 

 which would also be cut out when they had served their purpose. 



Time to Plant. — As to the time of year to plant, this again 

 depends on the variety of tree. Most of our hardier trees can 

 be planted with safety in the autumn, but the planting of the 

 more delicate exotics should be deferred till the danger from 

 spring frosts is past. Most foresters now plant such trees in 



