MATTOCK PLANTING 47 



especially in old agricultural land which has gone out 

 of cultivation. This method of planting is the only 

 one employed on the Murthly Estate in Perthshire and 

 gives excellent results. It is also used to a certain 

 extent on the neighbouring Scone Estate. The figures 

 of cost for planting with this spade at Murthly are 

 given in a statement of relative costs inserted at the 

 end of this section. 



The spiral spade is used to slacken up the soil in the 

 hole. The soil is then taken out with the trowel or 

 other tool, and the plant put in and the soil filled in as 

 already described. 



{d) Mattock Planting. — This method consists of a 

 combination of notching and pitting, and is a useful 

 one for planting up stony hillsides. The planting 

 mattock, a tool which is a combination of pick and a 

 mattock, is used, and is infinitely superior to the 

 ordinary pick. A smaller tool like a small half-mat- 

 tock, the iron portion resembling the flat part of the 

 mattock, is also required. To plant with the mattock : 

 The turf is first pared off the surface with the flat- 

 tened end of the tool, the pointed end being then used 

 for loosing up the soil. The flattened end then again 

 comes into play, the soil and stones being extracted 

 so far as possible from the hole by means of it ; should 

 the soil be full of bracken roots, and so on, the flattened 

 end is also used to break up these and remove them. 

 The turf and stones may be placed on the lower edge 

 of the hole (on a hillside) to serve as a trap for snow 

 and water. 



The plant may be notched in to the hole with the 

 spade or preferably be planted by means of the small 



