140 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



ment on the lines suggested would make them good sites 

 for profitable timber crops. 



On all peat-covered land the first process of improve- 

 ment is to drain the surface, not merely of the peat itself, 

 but also of the natural soil below. This surface, however, 

 is usually so rough and irregular with stones, boulders, 

 and outcrops of rock that no drain of any length could 

 possibly be made in it which would possess a steady fall. 

 Where such rocky obstructions are absent, the surface is 

 in most instances already drained by natural channels, 

 and on such spots as these planting has the greatest 

 chance of success. But the more frequent state of things 

 is the first-mentioned condition, which may be considered 

 almost hopeless. Where, however, the peat is sufficiently 

 thick, and possesses an unbroken and uniform surface, as 

 on the deeper bogs of the lowlands, soil drainage may 

 be dispensed with to some extent, as the layer of peat 

 is in itself deep enough for the trees. To bring it into 

 a fit condition, however, time and labour must be freely 

 spent. Live peat — that is, peat which is still adding to 

 its depth by the upward growth of sphagnum and other 

 forms of vegetation — cannot support tree growth; Scots 

 pine, mountain pine, maritime pine, alder, willow, birch, 

 and possibly a few other species will live in it for a 

 time, and produce a sickly and stunted growth, but 

 timber, in the ordinary sense of the word, is out of the 

 question on unprepared peat. To fit it in any way for 

 timber production it must first be thoroughly drained, so 

 that all stagnant water is removed, and this will even- 

 tually result in the death and decay of the peat-produc- 

 ing plants apart from heather and other dry-soil forms of 

 vegetation which often frequent sour or leached-out soils. 

 This drainage may, if effectually carried out, cost £2 or 

 £3 per acre at the outset, and a certain expenditure must 

 be incurred from time to time in maintaining it. The 



