ARBORICULTURE.

Press, Volume XXXV, Issue 4958, 4 July 1881, Page 2

ARBORICULTURE.

Tho necessary steps to take in prepaying land for tree planting depends to a greui extent upon the treea selected end the forcistion of the ground. Where the land possesses a moderately deep soil, and a subsoil wbioh is not too hard for the roots to penetrate, it only requires to bo submitted to tho ordinary n.othod of ploughing and harrowing , , afte? which holes are dug and the trees planted j but when the subsoil is of an impenetrable nature it v watte of time and money to plsjafj unless the snbsoil is to « certain extent ;• loosened. The general way of trenching is, of course, out of question on a large scale ia a country lite this, because it would be fouad too expensive; jet, when farmers, &o. only Intend planting a few acres, tho more rapid growth, lets failures and fewer badly formed boles, and the arriving to maturity eoocoi* than when not trenched, fully reimburse the, what is of ton thought, large outlay at Erat. Much has be6n said for and against the necessity of trecohiing for trees, bud ceperience has taught that; plau£atiooe wMaa have been trenohed invariafcly look aad do the best; numerous instances could be mentioned where stunted plantations have been cleared, aad after the same land ho* been trenohed trees have grown success* folly. The strong winds in this province , should induce planters to tronoh, cc the roots, unable to penetrate aud gst a firm hold, are liable to beoomo a prey to the storm, c? so shaken by wind as to be totally crippled. We can only come to one conclusion upon this matter —if trenching cost no more than ordinary ploughing it would always be done. The cheapest and easiest method may anew? in other things, bub oare should be used ia applying it to timber growing, aa the labor and attention of a life-time might be throws to the winds. I would strongly advise all planters who have the means wherewith Id give the trees a fair start, to trenoh all tori gravelly soils, and those with a hard cruet or pan underneath, also deep clays and penty loams, for by so doing the olay loams beeotaff pulverised and the air admitted, whioh is necessary for the growth of roots. The peity loams generally resting upon olay or sand nw always benefited end rendered suitable for trees by being mixed with tho clay. Is trenching for trees it is nob iieoeisary fo bring tne bottom to I;be top, except when tootop soil is devoid of organio matte?, & in the ease of sand seams resting on s good subsoil, and poaty loams, whioh if so» mixed with sand or clay, rarely produce sound timber. The usual method practised by forester* when trenohing is necessary, is to menl? loosen the bottom with picks, or, as is ofi&a done in America, by ploughs made for ihs purpose. Starting at one end of the land, 6 k>Dg strip of the soil is taken off to the depth of au ordinary spit, and about 18in in wifitb, -. and carted to the intended finishing spot, tbe exposod bottom is thon picked over co es to loosen it sufficiently for the roots to penote&. A lino is then stretohed 18in farther on, tibs top soil is then spaded and shovelled on to the disturbed bottom, when the same is X* peated to the end. Bearing in mind that ths objects to be gained by preparing tho ked are porousness, co as to enable the tender tsi flexible rootlets to search for food, dfpiJi* whioh enables the trees to withstand Sha storm, and a proper temperature beneath t!is the surface, which keeps the roots in healtb, also that these objects are essential to the well-doing of a forest, it becomes the planter should bo guided in his work &? the absence or presence of these requisite** therefore it is not necessary to disturb the soil otherwise than makiDg tho holes, where judgment decides that the land is sufK* ciently porous and of a aweet nature, to tbs depth of not less than 2ft. Modern forest-m have found out that the majority of lords can be made porous by a system of drainage, which would no doubt anewer admirably tor many plaoes in this province. In following out this plan lands with a very hard crust or pan, and very dry lands, must be out of the question. The block of land intended to bs planted is interceded by parallel drains whea possible, varying in distance apart and deptii according to the naturo of the soil. If of •■ ■ very stiff and retentive nature, the drains ought to be about 4ffc deep and SOEfc apart} in ordinary lands, 2J!!t to 3ft deep, and fro© 60ft to 80ft apart is found to be sufficient. The bottoms of thesa drains gbonld be abcrst Bin wide, with good sloping sides. UnlO* agricultural draining,, whan, to secure all the , surface possible, the drains are covered i% they must be left open, us the roots of tns tree* would soon render the difains ineffsetssL Until recently it was only deemed neeessci? to drain wet and stagnant lands; but practise experience has led to the discovery thet &? drainage lands retentive and impenetrable to roots are rendered sufficiently porous «» & temperature produced suitable for healthy growth of roots. These effects er» ■ caused by the rain penetrating through toe subsoil in finding its way to the drains. Atm where water can freely descend and pM* ■ away, the air heatod by the warm rays of the ; sun can also penetrate, hence the tempera*"** l of the subsoil is increased, the loam swsss* \ ened, and the rootii are enabled to brave ; where, without this treatment or tho raon s expensive method of trenohing, they would | have found it impossible to go. Before leaving | tbie subject of preparation, it is well to »? I a little upoa the shape of the plantations. 3? | person planting timber trees with the inteo* | tion of having a good income from w** o i ehould plant in stripe or form narrow plBS»* tioDB, for trees in such positions never ;•; good timber; this is apparent to all ; the fefonble to look itsto the matter. Wβ •* |

iaow that the tallest and best trees are in ibe centre or most sheltered part of .maw girt, and that the tree, on *»**«** STinvariably stunted a*d. I"™*"**" A»t in forming narrow sta'F?. the »¥*?* is merely going in for outskirts. •»"»»•« "very eroprietor or planter ought to aek— oTTatner deaire-to* produce the greatest JLaible quantity of marketablβ.timber npon fatten extent of land within the least poMible time, it is important to have the oUntation the best shape for shelter, and as this is the greatest requuite in hurrying on £««. it becomes the end and aim of practical Setters to secure it. To do this, all strip, are avoided, as the trees take twice as long to •row. Straight lines are also avoided, even in thick plantations, as straight surfaces cannot Srn £ide the force of a storm. Concave surfaces are never allowed on the exposed oart of a forest, as they concentrate the force of the wind, and like straight lines, must molt in great damage to the trees. Butm marking the outlines of a future forest, cara ■honld be taken that all the exposed parts should have a C3nvex surface, for then the wind is divided, and its force turned on one side. This is a point greatly f f le °£* 0T many in laying out grounds, but if attended to and carefully considered, would spare many a feeling of disappointment and prevent great to in the