REPORT ON THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OE PLANTATIONS. 255 



First, The evil effects of the mixing of different kinds of trees 

 in plantations — such as the loss and damage occasioned thereby, 

 the greater difficulty of management, the disadvantage at which 

 the trees are grown, and the greater expense they entail. 



In order to illustrate these results, the writer would endeavour 

 to draw attention to the following particulars, such as the great 

 proportion of slow-growing trees sacrificed by those of rapid 

 growth overgrowing them, so that they are cut down as mere 

 weeds before they can possibly be of useful size, or if not cut 

 down till of useful size, the loss is still greater, as in the present 

 case. The extra labour of thinning and clearing the thinnings 

 out of the plantation entailed expense almost incalculable, as 

 will subsequently appear. 



The evil consequences of general mixing, in contrast with that 

 of grouping, may be seen in this plantation. One part of it, a 

 year younger than the other, was planted all nearly with larch, 

 while the other part, as already shown, was of a general mixture. 

 The soil, exposure, altitude, &c, are alike in both ; yet the differ- 

 ence was altogether in favour of the part slightly mixed. The 

 trees, by making allowance for the difference of age (one year), 

 were scarcely so tall as the others, but were more proportionably 

 grown, and without any appearance of disease, while the larches 

 in the general mixed part were all but exclusively diseased, being 

 covered with ulcer. 



In the general mixed part the bark of the larch is black, as if 

 dusted over with soot ; numerous white insects infest them all, 

 and ulcer is upon most of them. The spring frosts of April 1859 

 browned the foliage of nearly all the larches in the plantation in 

 both parts ; but while those partially mixed with pine and 

 spruce soon recovered without sustaining any visible hurt, the 

 other part, or that completely mixed and overcrowded, were so 

 severely injured that most of them lost their leader, while 

 hundreds were quite killed. The difference of effect produced 

 seems only to be accounted for on the ground that the one part 

 being healthy, and of vigorous growth, was able to ward off the 

 injuries ; while the other being already sickly, has no efforts to 

 expend to promote similar results. 



The Scots pines are tall compared with their thickness, badly 

 branched, of a dark colour in the bark, and mostly infested with 

 insects. The spruces (except upon the soft ground) are slender, 

 with few branches, and badly rooted. The hardwoods are nearly 

 all deficient of side branches, which is to them the greatest of all 

 wants, many of them bare on one side, while others are without 

 a proper leader. 



Secondly, To show that a general mixed crop of trees upon 

 good soil such as this is more difficult to manage, more easily 

 and permanently injured than upon soil of inferior quality. This 



