AFFORESTATION OF WASTE LANDS 227 



there may be also patches of scrub or thorn, or possibly some 

 growth of trees in places, probably of a scrubby nature. Re- 

 membering the necessity to take advantage of all available 

 shelter, it may be best to leave the scrubby trees or thorns 

 standing, if they are sufficiently dense to give any real shelter. 

 Otherwise they may be cut away. The clearance of fern, 

 gorse, or heather will seldom give trouble on this class of land. 

 If a decision to plant has been made early enough, the best 

 method is to burn it off in the summer before planting. 

 Bracken is most easily burnt in March, while heather, ling, and 

 gorse can be burnt after any spell of dry weather. The fire 

 should be kept well in hand, and very dry weather should be 

 avoided as there is a danger of the fire getting hold of the peat 

 and burning for a long time. If conditions are such that the 

 area cannot be cleared by fire as it stands, the area to be 

 planted that year should be cut over with long-handled hooks, 

 the vegetation being collected into heaps and burnt. No 

 attempt should be made to plant until the vegetation is cut or 

 burnt as the plants would have little chance to thrive, and 

 a good fire over the area leaves a clear surface and the plants 

 get a one or two years' start before the vegetation is thick 

 enough to do damage. 



Draining. 



This may or may not be necessary, and owing to the 

 expense it should fte reduced to a minimum. Where, however, 

 there is a good deal of marshy land, as is likely to be the case 

 on extensive waste lands, a good system of drainage should be 

 carried out, especially draining the wetter places as early as 

 possible so as to give at least a year's time before the area is 

 planted. In most places surface drains will be sufficient, after- 

 wards planting with spruce or Sitka spruce, or some species 

 which will stand rather wet soil. Very bad bogs should be 



left implanted, as they are not worth the expense of draining. 



P 2 



