25 # 
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 first 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 provided against the further 
erosive action of the water, which would otherwise be apt to vVash 
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 wide 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 practised in Franc'*, which consists in 
filling up the ravine with brush placed lengthwise and keeping this 
down by poles laid across and fastened in the sides of the ravine. 
The waters are thus allowed to drain off, while the soil carried by 
them is retained in and over the brush, and in a short time the 
gulley will fill up of its own accord. Then alders and willows are 
planted along the edge and soon finish the work of securing the 
ravine against washing. The 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,, which 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 steepness, depth, and width of 
the ravine more or less frequent dams are necessary. After the 
brush dams, walls and other breastworks 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, where it 
can be readily accomplished, the filling, may be done by hand. 
It may be understood that unless the preliminary work is well 
done and systematically, beginning at the very tops of the hills 
where the waters start, it is not worth doing at all, since the water 
