156 



PLANTING OF WASTE LAND. 



to the methods I have described, 4000 two year old 

 firs, the greatest number that is ever put into a Scots 

 acre, may be put into the ground, including the 

 price of plants, at twenty, or sometimes as low as 

 fifteen shillings. At this rate, the planting of seve- 

 ral thousands of acres, an extent which would make 

 a very respectable forest, is within the compass even 

 of a moderate fortune. Most of the deciduous and 

 hard wooded species of trees, — as they ought to be 

 transplanted in the nursery, and to remain there 

 till they are at least four years old, and as they re- 

 quire the pitting, instead of the notching system of 

 planting to be adopted, in placing them where they 

 are intended to grow up into timber, — will be found 

 considerably dearer in cultivation than firs. Yet by 

 using the latter as nurses, and planting no more of 

 the hard- wooded kinds than will have room to come 

 to maturity, plantations of them may be formed as 

 low as fifty shillings or three pounds per Scots acre. 

 This at least can be done in the northern counties, 

 and I am aware of no reason why it should not like- 

 wise be possible in the south. 



With regard to the mechanical part of planting, 

 other methods might have been described of which 

 I have taken no notice. Of the three plans I have 

 mentioned, the first and the last are sufficient for 



