September 14, 1S76. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



241 



3, What preparation Bhould the land have ? I conld not afford 

 to trench it. 4, Is October and November a better time to 

 plant than February or March ? 5, Would the land pay for 

 manuring before the planting is done ? It has grown a crop 

 of Barley and Potatoes this summer. 6, What would be the 

 probable value of the timber per acre at the end of twenty-five 

 years, including the thinnings previous to that time ?" The 

 matter of tree-planting is one of general importance, and the 

 above questions in reference thereto are very pertinent; we 

 therefore publish them with the following commentary from 

 one who has had experience in tree-planting and the manage- 

 ment of plantations. 



I will consider the above questions seriatim, and first say 

 that I do not agree with the proposition of planting such trees 

 as Ash, Beech, Acaoia, Chestnut, Limes, and Sycamore 12 feet 

 apart, with Larches between them as nurses. I observe that 

 your querist does not include Oak, he probably having in 

 mind the adage that " Larch will buy a horse before Oak will 

 buy a saddle." That I believe to be true, and not only so, 

 but I am firm in the opinion that Larch where it grows well 

 will buy a horse sooner than will any other timber tree. It 

 may, however, not be unprofitable to notice briefly the charac- 

 teristics of the trees mentioned by way of determining their 

 adaptability or otherwise for the purpose named — i.e. , of afford- 

 ing the greatest profit in, say, thirty years. 



Ash. — A hardy tree of rapid growth in good and especially 

 moist soils. The growth in a young state is useful for crates, 

 hoops, hop poles, and fences, and when matured is in great 

 request by wheelwrights for various purposes. On a chalk 

 subsoil the young growth would probably be too slow to be 

 profitable, and as the trees would not be matured in less than 

 forty to fifty years the Ash must be ruled unsuitable for the 

 present object. 



Beech. — Very hardy and grows freely, especially on the 

 limestone and chalk, but the wood in a young state is pro- 

 verbially not durable. When matured it is by its closeness 

 valuable for tools and furniture ; but as the Beech cannot with 

 certainty be perfected in thirty years it also must be " out of 

 court." 



Acacia. (Robinia pseudo-acacia). — Hardy and a quick grower 

 in a young state. When matured its timber is extremely 

 durable, but the tree does not arrive at maturity in the time 

 named. It is a handsome but not a profitable tree. 



Chestnut. — Neither the Sweet nor the Horse Chestnut can 

 be regarded as profitable trees, although they are quick growers 

 in good soils. 



Lime. — This is also a quick-growing, hardy, and handsome 

 tree. Its wood is soft, and is useful for turning and for musical 

 instruments. The Larch would buy a horse before the Lime 

 would a donkey. 



Sycamobe. — This is a very hardy tree, and grows freely in 

 almost all soils. When its wood is matured it is always in 

 request, but in a young state it is comparatively valueless. 

 For early profit it is greatly inferior to the Laroh. 



Black Poplar. — This tree also is mentioned. It is the 

 quickest-growing of all, and its timber is useful for many 

 purposes, and is less inflammable than most wood. It spreads 

 and overtops most trees, and in that reBpect is occasionally 

 injurious to its neighbours. The wood yields no profit for 

 many years, and in this respect is certainly inferior to Larch. 

 Larch, therefore, I consider must be relied on to produce the 

 greatest profit in the time stated, and thug question No. 1 is 

 disposed of. 



As to question No. 2 — distance of planting — I regard 3 feet 

 as being fully too close. The practice on the estate with 

 which I have experience is to allow four thousand trees per 

 acre, which is nearer 4 feet than 3 feet apart, and that practice 

 has answered well. 



3, Preparation of the land. This is an important matter. 

 FirBt see that it is well drained, and let me remark that in 

 draining land for tre" shallow drains are useless; to be 

 effectual the main drains thould be 4 feet deep. The ground 

 cannot be trenched. The next best plan, and it would be 

 very profitable, would be to have it deeply dragged with the 

 steam cultivator, going over it several times. This would 

 loosen the subsoil to a depth of 14 inches. A little first cost 

 in this respect would be true economy. At any rate work the 

 soil as deeply as possible, bringing it by repeated draggings 

 into a free workable etate, such as is necessary for a crop of 

 Potatoes. That will compensate for manure, which answers I 

 question No. 5. 

 I will now take the question preceding — No. 4, as to time of I 



planting. Where the land is in a pliable state and rabbits do 

 not abound I advocate planting in November, otherwise I 

 would defer it until February or early in March. I have known 

 thousands of trees which have been planted in November com- 

 pletely ruined by rabbits duricg a severe winter following, 

 and the work of planting many acres has had to be done over 

 again in the spring. Again, if the soil is of a very heavy nature 

 it cannot, without much labour, be made sufficiently fine for 

 placing round the roots of the trees immediately after the holes 

 are dug for them, whereas if the holes are made early in the 

 autumn the soil becomes ameliorated by the frost and air, and 

 during the fine weather of early spring a portion at least of it 

 crumbles down, enabling the planting to be well and expedi- 

 tiously done. My advice, therefore, is in rabbit-infested dis- 

 tricts to plant early in spring, and when the ground is heavy 

 to make the holes for the trees in the autumn, planting after- 

 wards when the weather is suitable and the soil has become 

 in a useful measure pulverised. Having the land well drained 

 and thoroughly working it are measures of the greatest im- 

 portance in ensuring a quick and satisfactory growth and a 

 profitable return on outlay. By adopting these means and 

 planting Larch I have seen hundreds of acres of land that 

 did not bring in a shilling a-year to the owner, brought into 

 a condition so as to be regarded as satisfactorily lucrative, 

 equalling in this respect the agricultural land under tillage on 

 the best portions of the estate. If such results can be attained 

 by planting trees on bad land, what may we expect from land 

 that is in good cropping condition ? 



I now come to the last question, as to the probable value of 

 timber per acre at the end of twenty-five years. It is impossible 

 to answer that question, as eo much depends on the progress 

 which the trees make and the way in which they are managed. 

 I can say that Larch plantations which thrive well and are 

 judiciously managed will yield a clear profit of £3 per aore 

 over any number of years sufficient for the trees to become 

 matured. 



Larch is the most profitable of all trees where quick returns 

 are required. The trees are of rapid growth, and in a very 

 few years (six to ten) the trees are of a sufficient size for many 

 useful purposes, and the thinnings of well-grown trees of that 

 age always sell readily. Larch possesses this advantage over 

 almost all other trees, that the wood is valuable when in a 

 quite young state. When UBed as stakes or poles — hop poles, 

 no other are bo endurable as Larch. In its larger stages when 

 used for rails and fences, and even poBts, no other timber is so 

 good at its price and none, save Oak, and this must be ma- 

 tured, lasts so long. When still further advanced Larch is in 

 continual request by railway companies for sleepers and by 

 proprietors of mines for supports, and for general agricultural 

 purposes ; also for scaffolding it is the most UBeful of all 

 timber. Its bark also is valuable, and is always Baleable at 

 remunerative prices for the tannin which it contains. A greater 

 number of trees can be perfected on a given space than of 

 any other kind of tree ; in fact, it combines qualities, which 

 are advantages to the grower, in a greater degree than does 

 any other tree with which I am acquainted. 



It will grow anywhere if well treated — that is, if the soil is 

 well drained and kept free from stagnant water. It is not 

 enough to drain at the first and suffer the drains to become 

 choked afterwards. Already there has been too much money 

 waBted in that kind of draining. The drains must be good 

 and kept dear at their outlets, and then will the soil be kept 

 in a healthy state, and the trees will continue to improve and 

 prosper until they attain to maturity. 



In making holes for trees do not be afraid of the spade. A 

 large hole takes soarcely any more making than a small one, 

 and when the spade is on the spot it is only the work of a 

 moment to sink it into the bottom of each hole, loosening the 

 soil thereby to a depth from the surface of 16 to 18 inches. 

 Planting must also be carefully done, and the roots of the trees 

 should not be exposed to the drying effects of the air a moment 

 longer than is absolutely necessary. 



Where winged game is required it is well to plant a Spruce 

 Fir here and there, and especially at the margins of plantations, 

 starting with the Spruce in the fourth row from the margin, 

 and placing a tree in every fourth hole. Another row behind 

 that and the same distance from it as the trees are apart, formB 

 an evergreen fringe affording shelter and privacy to the 

 "feathered friends" which are frequently so greatly valued 

 and jealously preserved. 



When plantations of Larch are formed solely for growing 

 hop poles (which I am informed is lucrative) the trees are 



