MANAGEMENT AND SALE OF TIMBER. 119 



thatching rods which are used for keeping down the thatch upon 

 houses, such as porters' lodges and summer-houses, or more geue- 

 rally for stacks in corn-yards. For the latter purpose there is 

 considerable demand in the vicinity of London. On the present 

 occasion only a few bundles of such ware were procured, of 

 which no account is taken. 



No. II. is a larch plantation in the county of Sussex, planted 

 originally with a view of producing a crop of hop-poles, being 

 planted amongst sweet chesnut and ash, the latter sorts 4 feet 

 apart, and made up with the former to 2 feet all over the ground. 

 The site of the plantation being in view of the mansion, it was 

 found desirable on clearing the crop of hop-poles, to leave as 

 many larches upon the ground, as would preserve to it a fur- 

 nished and clothed appearance, with a fair crop of coppice wood 

 amongst them. This latter anticipation, however, was not realised 

 at the usual period for cutting the second time, as scarcely any 

 of the rods were size enough for hop-poles, while, at the end 

 of the. third period for cutting, 32 years from time of planting, 

 the coppice wood was found to be only fit for, and was manu- 

 factured into hoops, broom handles, training rods, and similar ware. 



In clearing the crop of hop-poles 12 years planted, the 

 larch chosen to stand were the strongest, and best on the 

 ground, and were left at distances varying from 25 to 30 feet 

 apart, numbering on an average 60 trees per acre. At the end of 

 32 years' growth, the whole of the larches were cut down and 

 cleared off the ground for the sake of the underwood, (which 

 wps considered at that time the most valuable crop), and because 

 the trees had in many instances attained maturity. 



The following are the average results per acre, the tr3es mea- 

 sured lying upon the ground after being cut and sneaded : — 



60 trees, average 30 cubic feet, = 1800 feet, at lOd per foot, £75 

 The ground similar outside the fence was letting at 20s. per 



acre, - - - - - - - - - £32 



Proportional expense of original planting, - - - 10 



Compound Interest at 4 per cent, on original outlay - - 15 1 



£33 15 1 



The writer would remark that, this plantation having been 

 originally planted with the object of producing a crop of hop- 

 poles, no attention was paid to what subsequently constituted the 

 timber crop. After the trees were selected to stand, it was not 

 with a view to profit ; otherwise, instead of 60 trees per acre, 

 100 trees per acre would have been left. By pursuing the latter 

 system the value of the crop would have been more than one- 

 third greater. 



