172 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



pitting that it is now being almost exclusively adopted at the 

 South Island plantations. No difficulty is experienced in getting 

 employees to undertake the grubber-pitting at from 12s. 6d. to 

 15s. per 1000, and at this rate an average wage of about 8s. 6d. 

 per day is earned individually. 



" In operating on light, porous, or gravelly soils with small 

 plants, scuffling ground (or ' spotting ') is frequently resorted to 

 with fair results. This work consists of clearing a small space 

 12 ins. square, either with a spade or mattock, and is carried on 

 by day-labour at 8s. 6d. per 1000. As the 'spotting' is 

 inseparable from slit or bar-planting, much discretion must be 

 exercised in selecting only the most favoured situations for this 

 mode of pitting, and even then equal success with the previously 

 explained system cannot rationally be anticipated, as no matter 

 how carefully a plant is inserted in the crevice formed by the 

 planting-bar or spade, the roots invariably assume a cramped, 

 unnatural position. 



" At Hanmer Springs (where prison labour is employed) a 

 specially designed pitting-line has been used for some years, and 

 very accurate work is performed, even by totally inexperienced 

 men. Some 70 or 80 links, 4 ft. in length, are constructed from 

 No. 16 gauge wire, and joined together. On this line being 

 stretched across the pitting-ground in the desired direction, 

 strained, and finally made secure at both ends, each prisoner 

 takes his allotted place, and opens a similar number of pits 

 immediately opposite the link-joints, after which the line is 

 brought forward 4 ft, set parallel to the preceding one, and 

 again pegged in readiness for pitting. Care is taken to have 

 pits opposite each other in every other line. The daily number 

 of spade-pits prepared individually by prisoners depends to a 

 great extent upon the class of ground being afforested. On light 

 easily worked soils as many as 700 each have been made in a 

 day of eight hours; whilst on ground of a hard gravelly nature 

 a similar amount of energy will be required to form 350 holes." 



As regards the actual planting of the trees the author goes on 

 to say : 



" Before expressing definitely the recognised most suitable 

 time for tree-planting, attention might be directed to the effect 

 which our changeable climate has in the matter. In certain 

 seasons abundance of moisture is available from the time ot 

 planting onwards, and prospects of success are still further 



