CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



The beech and sycamore, if not altogether so 

 hardy, without doubt, stand next in that respect to 

 the Scots pine, and will grow most luxuriantly on 

 even the poorest of soils. 



'With reference to the beech, I have seen it 

 attain to large dimensions on pure sand ; but the 

 soil best adapted for bringing this tree to the 

 greatest perfection is a marly or gravelly clay on a 

 chalk formation, on which it attains to the most 

 elegant stature and beauty. In the south of Eng- 

 land in some cases exposed to the severity of the 

 south-west gales it grows in a comparatively 

 short space to the most admirable dimensions ; 

 and though its timber, on account of its brittleness, 

 is inferior to that of most other hard-wooded trees, 

 the natural and picturesque gracefulness of a good 

 specimen of the beech is such as to command for 

 it a prominent position in every gentleman's park ; 

 and, with a view to ornament, we would be fully 

 disposed to class it amongst the first of our 

 indigenous trees. The sycamore also delights in 

 a light soil, and being of a very hardy nature, will 

 thrive well, and may be profitably grown on exposed 

 situations, either by the sea-shore or on high-lying 

 districts. Its timber is of considerable value when 

 of large size, and is applied to many useful pur- 

 poses.' 



The same authority observes : ' In no case does 

 it appear to me advisable that hard-wooded trees 

 should be planted alone or in excessive numbers ; 

 for even if a hard-wood plantation be desired, it 

 is better, in the first instance, to plant the requisite 

 sorts amongst a variety of the fir tribe, so that 

 they may be duly sheltered and protected in their 

 youth. Both kinds should also be planted at the 

 same time. The system I practise is first, to 

 determine at what distances apart the hard- 

 wood trees ought to be placed say from nine 

 to twelve feet and having these carefully put 

 in, I next proceed to have the spaces between 

 these plants filled up to suitable distances with 

 firs which have been selected for the purpose. 

 On low-lying grounds, the distances between the 

 plants, over all, need not be less than from three 

 and a half to four feet, beyond which it is un- 

 necessary to extend them, as the thinnings, at 

 even this rate, will be of some small value when 

 the operation of thinning is first required ; but on 

 more exposed and colder situations, the rate of 

 planting may be reduced so low as even two and 

 a half feet from plant to plant. The best nurses 

 are larches, Scots pine, and spruce firs ; and they 

 may very advantageously be planted in the ratio 

 of two of the former to one of either of the latter, 

 as such a course will be found to be equally 

 beneficial with any other, and decidedly the most 

 profitable. 



' As to the time or season of the year when 

 planting operations may be most satisfactorily 

 executed, I would unhesitatingly record the 

 matured opinion I have derived from extensive 

 observation and practical experience, that all such 

 should be conducted and concluded in the four 

 months of November, December, January, and 

 February. ... On damp lands, and where late 

 spring-frosts prevail, planting may be postponed 

 till the very latest of the dates I have noticed ; 

 but if prosecuted beyond this, the operation cannot 

 reasonably be expected to succeed. If the plants 

 are to be put in by the system of what is tech- 

 nically called pitting, the pits may be prepared 



604 



any time before ; and the longer previously they 

 are so prepared, so much the better, as the soil 

 cast out of the pits, being exposed to frosts and the 

 ordinary action of the weather, becomes thoroughly 

 pulverised and purified ; and is thus put into a 

 sound and healthy state for the reception of the 

 roots of the young trees. 



' With regard to the method of planting, I con- 

 sider it preferable in all cases to prepare pits for 

 hard-wooded trees of all kinds, as they require a 

 considerable space to develop the large fibrous 

 roots with which they are, or ought to be, fur- 

 nished. The dimensions of these pits must be 

 regulated by the size of the plants they are designed 

 to contain. In ordinary cases, I would say that 

 pits from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter 

 would suffice for every necessary purpose ; they 

 should also be made perfectly circular, and fully 

 as wide at the bottom as the top. Pitting will 

 also be requisite for all kinds of firs, where planted 

 on stony or any kind of hard ground ; but in 

 loamy, or any other sort of friable soil, I find the 

 ordinary system of notching to be decidedly the 

 best, and by far the cheapest. Where, however, 

 pitting is found to be indispensable, I would advise 

 that the expense of casting the soil actually out 

 of what may be termed the pit, and replacing it 

 again, should not be incurred ; as, if it is well 

 stirred all round to the required dimensions with 

 the end of the mattock the utensil employed in 

 this service the whole advantage resulting from 

 the system of pitting is equally well secured, the 

 plants are more easily put in, and the cost is 

 comparatively trifling. Trenching may also be 

 found necessary in some isolated cases, but the 

 enormous expense it incurs precludes its general 

 application, even though it were advantageous in 

 every instance, which is not the case. However 

 planted, the utmost care must be exercised, so 

 that none of the roots of any fir may be cut off 

 with the edge of the spade, which is too often done 

 by ignorant or careless labourers ; and though 

 not easily detected when committed, this species 

 of injury is doubtless the parent of many of the 

 casualties which occur in the earlier years of some 

 of our plantations. Due regard must also be had 

 to the sizes of plants most suitable for different 

 localities, with respect to situation and climate ; 

 for moderately sheltered grounds, I would say 

 that oaks about one and a half foot high, one 

 and two years' transplanted larch, two years' 

 transplanted Scots fir and spruce, would be 

 found to be the most suitable ; on more exposed 

 situations, two years' seedling larch, with one 

 year transplanted spruce and Scots fir, will answer 

 better than those of a larger size.' 



When a large extent of inferior land is intended 

 to be planted, it must necessarily be executed in 

 the most economical manner, and without many 

 of the preparations above recommended. If the 

 surface be irregular, and covered with short 

 herbage, two or three year old plants of larch, 

 Scots fir, birch, intermixed with a few oak, beech, 

 and ash, may be inserted at proper intervals by 

 ibrming notches in the turf. One or two blows 

 of the tool raises a triangular piece of the surface, 

 under which the root of the plant is properly 

 Dlaced, and the raised sod turned back and 

 ;rodden down with the foot. In this simple and 

 expeditious way of planting, many hundred acres 

 of hilly land have been stocked with trees ; and 



