AND PEEVENTIVE MEASURES, 253 



'< There are made of these a kind of pepiniSres volantes, or temporary 

 nurseries, in the centre and on all points of the lands to be replanted, 

 in which may be found, at befitting times, and at little expense, plants with 

 which to supply void spaces, or even to carry on the reboisement over the 

 entire surface, when a small number of strips may have been sown for 

 this purpose." 



Of plantations, he says, — " The success of these depends on the plants 

 employed, and on the time at which the operation of planting is performed. 

 There has been much discussion on the question, whether this should be 

 done in spring or in autumn. Spring is preferable in the Alps, as the frost 

 of winter extrudes the plants from the ground, and destroys many of them. 

 And there it is necessary to plant as much as possible after rain, while the 

 ground is moist, thus giving the best security for their success ; and where 

 this is made a point of some importance, the pepiniires volantes are of great 

 service — they allow of yoimg plants being had on the ground at any time ; 

 while the difficulties of procuring plants in sufficient quantity, at a given 

 time, at a great many different places, often prevents their arrival at the 

 time required, and is otherwise prejudicial to the work. 



" It is scarcely necessary," says he, " to add, that in planting great care 

 must always be taken to place the best soil finely comminuted around 

 the roots, which should be placed and disposed with consideration and 

 attention, — to heap up the soil and press it down with the foot, &c., — to 

 take, in short, all the care recommended for plantations in general, and 

 which it is unnecessary to repeat." 



In regard to the choice of plants, he says, — " In the Grissons, where the 

 mountains are calcareous, and where the climate in summer is extremely 

 hot, they can use only plants which have been transplanted in a nursery. 

 The plantations always succeed, and the inspector of the forests of the 

 canton, M. Coaz, attributes the success which has been obtained solely to 

 this use of retransplanted plants. 



"In the Oberland, in like manner, they employ only retransplanted plants, 

 and rarely do these perish. There are thus obtained indisputable facts, 

 over against which can only be set the fact of the success of some species 

 of resinous trees particularly robust, such as the Austrian pine and the 

 larch, transplanted or sown ; but even these, however, when first trans- 

 planted in the nursery, and then replanted, are unquestionably superior to 

 those which have not been so treated. 



" The objections which may be raised to the employment of retrans- 

 planted plants, are the pretty high price of them, and the difficulty of pro- 

 curing them in great quantities. But in reply," says M. Marschand, " to 

 the first of these objections, I have no doubt that the final result will be 

 generally obtained at less expense with retransplanted plants than with 

 others, taking into account the interminable labour required with these in 

 supplying the places of dead plants — works often more onerous than the 

 original planting. And I can adduce in support of this opinion," says he, 

 " a great many examples of this having beeii the case in the French Alps. 



" The second objection may be easily met — it is only requisite to extend 

 the nursery proportionately with the area to be replanted ; if there have 

 been made pepinieres volantes, in strips within the p^rimfetres, there may be 

 transplanted thence the young plants, and those which are not required 

 may be left there, where they will not fail to grow." And he goes on to 

 say, — " It may be superfluous to add, that the superiorty of transplanted 



