584 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



penetrate during the cold period enables them to resist the drought 

 of the first summer after planting, and then, when the rains begin, the 

 tree which had found itself with its vegetation in a state of all but 

 complete rest, feeling the softened earth and moisture, fills up its veins, 

 the leaves become vigorous and react upon the roots, which in June 

 and July of the second year grow and spread considerably until the 

 future growth of the tree is perfectly assured. 



Having established these facts as to the necessary methods to 

 adopt with this class of soil and lands subject to such periodic drought, 

 our work naturally divides itself into two parts — the planting of forest 

 trees and the planting of fruit orchards. These two classes differ greatly 

 in the manner of treatment required ; inceed, the number of fruit trees 

 capable of being profitably g'own is very small. The Almond, the 

 Olive, and the Apricot are the only ones worth considering, but I 

 propose to show that these three trees, of such great importance to 

 Chile, possess peculiarities which enable them to be cultivated, without 

 any irrigation, on our dry lands. 



For plantations of forest and timber trees, as also for fruit trees, hills 

 of lower height should be chosen in preference, as on them the layer 

 of soil, although poor in quality, is of more or less depth and penetrable ; 

 and as far as possible land exposed to the south and east, which are 

 the best exposures in Chile. As land of this description generally 

 carries vegetation in the form of shrubs, it is better not to uproot 

 them but only to cut them down, as their roots help to bind the 

 earth and prevent its washing away. It is generally best to make 

 these plantation? on land which has been cleared of high woods, and 

 after a crop of barley or wheat which has been sown on the ashes 

 of the burnt branches, as is customary on all dry soils on the coast 

 of Chile. 



One proceeds to stake out the plots more or less widely separated 

 from each other by wide rides in which there will be no trees One 

 then measures from the line of the rides with wooden rods, the length 

 of which should be the same as that between the trees, namely 3 feet 

 3 inches. 4 feet 9 inches, or 6 feet 6 inches ; and then mark the places 

 in which the trees are to be set either by holes opened previously, or 

 by hoe or mattock when once the earth has been moistened by the 

 first rains. It is not necessary to be very strict in the direction of 

 the lines or the distance between the trees, as a plantation would 

 not be economical if one had to take out the butt of an old tree or 

 to move large rocks if they happened to be in the way. 



If this system of planting is adopted (without opening holes pre- 

 viously), when the soil is very light, it is generally necessary to plant 

 small trees from beds, the roots of which are intact. 



A boy walks with a bundle of young trees roiled up in a wet cloth 

 immediately behind the man who carries the plan, and deposits a 

 plant in the place where it should be planted by a second man, who 

 makes a hole for it with the mattock, puts the plant upright in the 

 hole_with its root straight down, and presses the earth firmly round 



