PLANTING ON MOORLANDS. 155 



the subsoil cannot be, reached by the plow, then sand 

 should be dug up from the bottom of the ditches, run- 

 ning through the moor, and scattered ever the surface 

 soil, whereupon by deep plowing a complete mixing of 

 the surface soil with the dugout sand should be perfected. 

 If the surface soil be pretty compact and strong, a sand 

 layer from five to six inches thick will be sufficient, 

 while poorer soil should be enriched by a layer several 

 inches thicker. 



This culture may be preceded by burning over the 

 surface soil, by which process the expenses of the culti- 

 vation are remarkably lessened. But if the turf (top of 

 the moor soil) proves to be very thick, burning over the 

 surface soil cannot be avoided, but must be, under all 

 circumstances, employed. 



When the surface of a moor has been treated in this 

 way, the spruce, and even fir, may be planted as principal 

 stock of trees ; as the soil, even during the driest summers, 

 will contain sufficient moisture to favor the growth of 

 these trees. According to the quality of the soil, either 

 beeches and oaks, or oaks and pines, or only pines are 

 used to serve as mixture, the best soil been assigned to 

 the first-named trees and the next best to the second 

 combination. The poorest soil will not permit the growth 

 of any other kind of trees but the pine. However, under 

 the cover of this tree there may spruce and hemlock 

 grow, although they will not flourish luxuriantly. 



