NOTES ON TREES. 33 



a very poor one on hard, stony, shallow land over rock. 

 Where alder has been cleared on wet land or on edges of 

 water, the soil quality is equally good; but the land usually 

 requires drainage if it is to be stocked with conifers, and 

 owing to the shallow spreading roots of alder, drain-cutting 

 is both a tedious and an expensive operation. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



NOTES ON TREES. 



IN the afforestation of waste-lands, unless under special 

 circumstances, coniferous trees will almost invariably be 

 the crop. It is proposed to offer some opinions and 

 remarks on those trees that have come under the writer's 

 close observation in that particular phase of forestry. The 

 classification of soils by herbage has been dealt with in 

 the previous chapter, and prominence will again be given 

 to the natural herbage as a guide to which tree or trees 

 will be most likely to give the best results on any given 

 situation, judging it by the soil-covering. 



Pines. Though the first tree to be considered, the moun- 

 tain pine is one not usually classed among timber trees, yet 

 in the advancement of forestry it may prove to be very 

 useful in the reclamation of inferior peats. It is reported 

 that mountain pine (Pinus montana, var. uncinata) has 

 been extensively used in Denmark for planting thinly on 

 bog-land after draining, with the object of improving the 

 quality of the peat, and that good results have been 

 obtained in rendering this soil suitable for the growth of 

 spruce, which was introduced when the condition of the 

 peat had been rendered satisfactory. This pine has been 

 tried on Inverliever in recent years with the same object 

 in view. It has not yet been long enough established to 

 give results, but it has been proved that it will grow on 



