PLANTING IN EXPOSED SITUATIONS. 65 



PLANTING UPON MOOE-PAN SOIL. 



Moorpan is a term applied to certain soils, chiefly in sandy and low- 

 lying countries, overgrown with the heather (Calluna vulgaris), and 

 sometimes with Urica and other plants belonging to the natural order 

 Ericacecc. It does not occur in a loamy soil, even where these plants 

 grow, and its formation appears to belong to the present geological pe- 

 riod, and to the action of the humus of these plants upon the chemical 

 constituents of the soil. It is of a yellowish black, or yellowish color, 

 is generally from one to two feet below the surface, and varies in thick- 

 ness of the layer, from half an inch to twelve inches, being generally 

 from three to six inches. It is generally too hard to be broken up by 

 the plow, and can only be broken by a pick or iron bar. It consists of 

 from 80 or 90 per cent, of silica, cemented by heather-humus, and shows 

 a slight percentage of iron sesquioxide and of alumina silicate, with 

 traces of phosphoric acid. It is impervious to water, and the surface 

 underlaid by this stratum may be excessively wet, when proper drain- 

 age is wanting. The roots of trees are scarcely able to penetrate it, and 

 tlie proper method of planting in timber is to thoroughly break up this 

 crust, so as to allow the roots to penetrate the subsoil. Extensi%'e 

 tracts of land, underlaid by moorpan, occur in Europe; but as the 

 heather-plant is scarcely found in our country, these conditions are for 

 the most part absent ; but whenever analogous conditions exist, they 

 are to be treated in like manner.' 



ON PLANNING IN EXPOSED AND MAKITIME SITUATIONS.* 



Those engaged in planting in extremely exposed or maritime situa- 

 tions, need not look for immediate or certain success, nor be disheart- 

 ened by some failures, for success requires much preparation and per- 

 severance to insure even moderately good results. Some trees will 

 grow with various success in the most exposed situations when the soil 

 is suitable; but unless it is so, success becomes doubtful, and the trees, 

 will often be slow in getting fully started. When the soil and subsoil' 

 are stiff' and tenacious, it must be first thoroughly prepared and loos- 

 ened by trenching or plowing. The former, although more expensive,, 

 is by all means the most profitable in the end, and should be done to a 

 depth of 20 to 24 inches, especially where the grounds are small or de- 

 signed for ornamental planting. The surface soil should be kept a» 

 much as possible on the top of the trenched ground, so that the young 

 roots may get a good start. The under soil being loosened, is improved 

 by the action of the atmosphere, and by the washing of good soil froui 

 above, and is kept from becoming very wet by the drainage, which must 

 always be sufficient to remove the excess of moisture from rains or stag- 

 nant water. Open drains are the best, and their width and distance 

 ai)art must be regulated by circumstances. Without this trenching 

 young trees in a stiff soil are apt to get loosened by the winds, which,, 

 bv swaying back and forth, form a hole around tbe collar of the plant, 

 which admits air to the roots, or water, which freezes to the roots, while 

 the trees are often laid broadside by the winds, and they make little or 

 no progress for a year or two. They may also die for want of uourish- 



' See Walker's Report on Forest Management, p. 14b, for ample iuformatioo upon this 

 subject. 



^ Condensed from a prize es^ay for which a premium of five sovereigns was awarded 

 to its author, Lewis Bayne, Kinraell Park, Abergele, North Wales. From the Trans^ 

 aciiona of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland for 1876, ^x G6. 



6f 



