146 THE NEW FORESTRY. 



the Aberdeen University, and who had much to do with the 

 arboricultural exhibits there, for particulars about these 

 exhibits, the first of their kind. He writes : -" Colonel Innes 

 planted a wood, partly by notching and partly by pitting. 

 He sent us two fair samples from this wood, each of Scotch fir 

 and larch. The pitted larch was three or four feet longer 

 than the notched, the pitted ones being from twelve to thirteen 

 feet high, and also slightly thicker. These statements apply 

 also to the Scotch fir." No doubt such trees would keep 

 their lead, and at maturity, or even earlier, the pitted plantation 

 would be the gainer by thousands of feet, according to its 

 extent. 



Some planters recommend the pits to be taken out weeks, 

 and even months, before planting time, on the plea that 

 exposure to the air benefits the soil in some way, especially in 

 bad soils. The reply to the last-named plea is, that when the 

 soil is so unsuitable that the soil from the pits has to be 

 aerated, the ground is unfit to be planted altogether, seeing 

 that the roots will quickly extend beyond the limits of the 

 pit. Generally speaking we have never seen the least advan- 

 tage in digging the pits long before planting, and the 

 experience of garden culture is opposed in principle ,to the 

 practice, and garden practice deals with a far greater multi- 

 tude of subjects than forestry. If there be one practice more 

 than another that the gardener has proved to be a wise one, 

 it is that it is always best to sow or plant in freshly turned-up 

 soil, and rather than do either, in a soil that has been thrown 

 up for some time, he will fork and harrow again and again, 

 if accidents of weather or anything else interferes with his 

 operations at the first digging. The forest tree is no excep- 

 tion, and trees that are planted in the newly turned-up soil 

 as soon as the pits are opened will be found to succeed in a 

 perfectly satisfactory manner. 



SECTION XIV. PLANTING WITH THE DIBBER 

 AND TROWEL. 



These tools are only used for planting forest trees at the 

 first and second years seedling stage, and they are used on 

 the same principle as the spade in pitting. Sometimes in 

 hard soils a crowbar is used. The dibber ought to be heavy, 

 thicker than an ordinary garden dibber, and shod with iron. 

 In planting, the dibber should be inserted straight into the 



