82 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



areas must lie fallow for at least two years, in order to allow the 

 soil to regain its balance and settle down. Wherever the 

 heather has been ploughed under, the conditions become even 

 more unfavourable, and it is therefore advisable that all such 

 growths should be burnt or otherwise destroyed before the 

 ploughing takes place. The danger of allowing these ploughed 

 areas to lie entirely fallow is great, on account of the largely 

 increased loss of nitrogen after the removal of all cover, which 

 it will be difficult and costly to replace. Von Seelhorst made 

 exhaustive experiments in this direction, which proved the 

 eminent importance of keeping such light soils under some 

 cultivation. 



In Holland and Westphalia the improvement of Ort 

 heather tracts is practically effected by their intermediate agri- 

 cultural use. After the soil has once or twice been cultivated 

 with lupins or saradella with the assistance of mineral 

 manures, it is sown with rye or preferably planted with potatoes. 

 In these localities it is generally found that the cost of the 

 preparation and sanitation of the soil is entirely or at least 

 to a great extent recovered, and that in order to effect the 

 subsequent afforestation the cheaper method of sowing may 

 take the place of planting. Where for some reason such 

 intermediate course of agriculture is not feasible, it is neverthe- 

 less essential that the ploughed areas should be cultivated with 

 some green manuring plants, in preference lupins and saradella 

 or clover. The cost of such operations should be added to the 

 acquisition of waste land and not to that of cultural operations. 

 W. Borghmann of Tharandt very emphatically expresses the 

 same view. " The cost of such amelioration of the soil should 

 be treated as a capital expenditure, and not in the sense as if 

 the first rotation should be held responsible for its recovery. 

 If it be necessary to regain a lost position, an extraordinary 

 non-recurring but considerable sacrifice may be unavoidable." 

 As regards all normal heather areas— that is, all such in which 

 no hard strata exist — Albert maintains his position in regard to 

 shallow working up of the soil. If, he says, it is considered 

 that in any given locality the subsoil is not sufficiently loose, 

 he recommends a previous cultivation with lupins or saradella, 

 for it is an acknowledged fact that no tool in human hands will 

 effect so thoroughly and cheaply the opening up of the sub- 

 soil as the deep roots of such plants. 



