TEEE CULTURE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 43 



the seed of the tree, mixed -with seed of the broom (21bs. of the former 

 to 51bs. of the latter to an acre) in lines, and covering the ground with 

 pine and furze branches to protect the seed until it germinated, and 

 afterwards until the young plants had attained strength to withstand the 

 vicissitudes of the site. The broom was sown in order to give some 

 shelter to the young pines until they made some headway, when the 

 latter eventually overtopped and killed the former. This system is 

 worth trying here, and I have no doubt but that where the soil is not of 

 too drifty a character, and the site not too much exposed to the direct 

 blasts of the sea, fair results would be obtained by it. It has also been 

 tried with good results on the flats of sand towards Wynberg, at the 

 Cape of Good Hope. There, however, the. planting the trees directly 

 into their sites from, the nursery has also met with success. 



In Scotland, the plantations on sea-side sites are always formed of 

 young plants from the nursery, specially prepared with strong sturdy 

 stems, plenty of fibrous rQots, and of a hardy constitution ; and I am of 

 opinion that this is the most certain, and, in the end, expeditious manner 

 of forming plantations of the kind in this country. 



I shall now, therefore, give a few general directions as to how the 

 operations connected with the formation of plantations on our sea-coast 

 should be conducted in order to a fairly successful issue. 



The Choosing of the Site. — There is, of course, great differences in 

 the soil, subsoil, and exposure of localities on the sea-coast which 

 are not far from one another. This is, I think, more marked as a rule 

 than in inland situations. Some have a good clay-loam throughout, with 

 a fair amount of shelter from the wind by the ground sloping inland 

 from the sea bank ; while others have a soil of a very poor drifting 

 sandy loam, with an exposed aspect to the sea. Again, there are the 

 several intermediate sites between these two, so that much variety of 

 material consequence exists in this way. Of course, there may sometimes 

 be a considerable tract of sea-coast which it is desired to have put under 

 a crop of trees, which possesses all the variety of sites named. In 

 any case, however, the site chosen for the first planting operations should 

 be selected with the twofold view of making an encouraging beginning 

 and of affordiag shelter to other plantations to be afterwards formed. 



Preparation of the Soil. — Much of the success will depend upon 

 whether this be done properly or not. Where the soil is of a clayey nature, 

 I would advise that, if practicable, the whole of the ground enclosed be 

 ploughed and subsoiled to a depth of at least sixteen inches. If the 

 soil is naturally of a wet and sour nature, a feyr open drains should be 

 run through it, so that it may become pervious and sweet to the rootlets 

 of the young trees. The ground having been all dealt with as advised, 

 the next operation will be the opening of the holes for the plants. 

 These should be about two and a-haH feet wide on top, two feet in depth, 

 and they ought to be kept open for a month or two before planting, in 

 order that the soil may become thoroughly loose and nicely pulverised 

 before being put round the roots of the trees. In opening the holes, the 

 top soil should be carefully kept on one side, and not mixed with that 

 of the subsoil, and afterwards it should be put as the top covering to 



