Preparation  for  Planting  Forests. 
Although  cultivation  of  the  soil  for  tree  planting  in  the  manner 
practised  for  field  crops  is  advantageous  to  the  young  plants  for 
the  hrst  few  years  of  their  life,  it  is  by  no  means  necessary,  and 
rough,  broken  and  stony  ground,  which  could  not  be  ploughed  and 
prepared  for  ordinary  field  crops  can  be  readily  planted  in  trees. 
If  the  ground  is  in  such  a condition  that  it  can  be  ploughed,  this  is 
decidedly  the  best  method  of  preparing  the  land.  The  ploughing 
should  in  all  cases  follow  the  contour  of  the  hill  and  be  as  deep  as 
possible,  in  order  To  allow  as  much  water  as  possible  to  soak  into 
the  soil  and  so  diminish  surface  erosion  and  prevent  the  young 
trees  being  washed  out.  The  occasional  gullies  must  be  filled  with 
brush  and  soil,  or  stones,  rubble  and  dirt. 
In  the  deeply  gullied  hill  lands,  where  ploughing  has  become  im- 
practicable, other  ways  must  be  [>rovided  against  tbe  further 
erosive  action  of  the  water,  which  would  otherwise  be  apt  to  wash 
out  and  uproot  the  plants.  For  this  purpose  it  is  necessary  lo  break 
the  force  of  the  water  by  constructing  brush  dams  across  the  gullies 
and  roughly  fill  in  the  latter  with  stone,  gravel,  earth,  etc.,  in  front 
and  rear  if  they  are  shallow  and  at  least  in  the  rear  if  they  are 
deeper.  Where  the  ravines  are  especially  deep  and  wi(ie  it  may 
become  necessary  to  supplement  and  strengthen  the  rough  dam  with 
a loose  rubble  embankment  or  dry  wall  of  stone.  .A  simple  and 
efficient  method  has  been  [)ractiscd  in  Franc(‘.  which  consists  in 
filling  up  the  ravine  with  brush  placed  lengthw  ise  and  keeping  this 
down  by  poles  laid  across  ajul  fastened  in  the  sides  of  the  ravine. 
The  waters  are  thus  allowed  to  drain  off,  while  the  soil  (arried  by* 
them  is  retained  in  and  over  tf.e  brush,  and  in  a short  time  the 
gulley  will  fill  up  of  its  own  accord,  d'hen  alders  and  willows  are 
planted  along  the  edge  and  soon  finish  the  work  of  securing  the 
ravine  against  w'ashing.  d'he  means  for  thus  breaking  the  force  of 
the  water  in  the  gullies  and  changing  it  from  a rushing  torrent  into 
a series  of  gentle  falls,  and  in  part  from  surface  drainage  into 
subterranean  drainage,  and  of  filling  up  the  gullies  themselves  will 
have  to  be  devised  in  every  special  case  as  circumstances  permit 
and  the  ingenuity  of  the  operator  suggests.  The  brush  dam  is  pre- 
ferably made  of  readily  sprouting  material,  w'hich  becomes  alive  and 
by  striking  root  adds  to  the  firmness  of  the  dam. 
It  is  especially  needful,  as  in  all  kinds  of  dams,  to  fasten  the 
ends  scarcely.  According  to  the  stee|)ness,  depth,  and  wdflth  of 
the  ravine  more  or  less  fre(juent  dams  are  necessary.  After  the 
brush  dams,  walls  and  other  breastw'orks  have  been  established, 
the  waters  may  be  allowed  to  do  the  work  of  filling  up  the  gullies 
themselves,  which  they  will  do  sooner  or  later,  or  else,  vvher(i  it 
can  be  readily  accomplished,. the  filling  may  be  done  by  hand. 
It  may  be  understood  that  unless  the  preliminary  w'ork  is  well 
done  and  systematically,  beginning  at  the  very  tops  of  the  hills 
w’here  the  waters  start,  it  is  not  worth  doing  at  all,  since  the  water 
