184 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



during the first year or two is concerned, provided they 

 are able to stand the acidity peculiar to peaty soils. But 

 the ultimate development of most plants when slitted 

 into tough peat is very poor, and the results do not lead 

 to anything of a satisfactory nature. 



On thick grassy surfaces slitting is also an unsatisfactory 

 method in dry climates, or with certain species. Mr. 

 Spencer Pickering of Woburn believes that the bad 

 success of many trees planted in grass cannot be accounted 

 for by lack of moisture. But as the trees which do best 

 when slitted in grass are usually those which do best on 

 dry soils, or in dry climates, it is difficult to account for 

 the failure of most species in any other way. Scots pine, 

 Corsican pine, birch, beech, etc., are the most likely to 

 succeed when slitted or planted in grass, while ash, 

 poplar, willow, etc., invariably do badly. In dry summers 

 and dry soils, again, the failures on grass are very heavy 

 compared with those in wet seasons or damp spots, 

 and especially so with shallow rooters, such as larch, 

 spruce, etc. 



Moreover, the bad effects of grass invariably disappear 

 as the tree roots get beneath the turf, and down upon 

 the soil for their moisture. Park and hedgerow trees do 

 not show any bad effects from grass, although practically 

 all their feeding roots must be below it, and there does not 

 appear to be any good reason for attributing the bad 

 growth of grass-covered trees to any other cause than the 

 one assigned above. 



To avoid failures, however, grass and surface growth of 

 any kind should be broken up or skinned off if possible. 

 On the Continent, various implements are used for prepar- 

 ing the surface of old woodland, or ground containing 

 roots or stones. The simplest is the forest plough, a 

 heavy implement with double mouldboard and powerful 

 share and sole, capable of cutting through roots two or 



