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REPOET ON THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF PLANTATIONS. 259 



planted, at which time it is often unhappily discovered that the 

 trees, instead of being worth shillings or pounds, are found to be 

 worth only pence or shillings. 



No. 3 is a so-called fir plantation, also in the county of Box- 

 burgh, planted in 1822, 1823, 1827, composed principally of 

 Scots pine, with a small mixture of larch in a few places, a few 

 spruces in other places, and also a few hardwoods; the latter, 

 however, are so worthless as unworthy of further notice. 



The plantation is in form a long narrow belt or strip about 

 2000 yards in length by a mean width of four chains. No part 

 of the plantation boundary is quite straight, but of agreeable 

 curves, and contains about forty acres. It extends from east to 

 west across a heathy bleak plain or moor, affording on both sides 

 shelter to the stock of two separate farms, between which it con- 

 stitutes the march. It is situated at an altitude of between 400 

 and 600 feet, and is freely and openly exposed on all sides, the 

 ground inclining to the north-east, to which one side of the belt 

 is freely exposed, while the opposite side is equally exposed to 

 the south-west, where the wind has blown down the greatest 

 number of trees. 



Between the two extremities of the plantation, from east to 

 west, the surface of the ground undulates considerably, though, 

 when viewed from either end, it appears nearly level, except at 

 the west end, which rises in one uniform ascent to the highest 

 part of it. The soil is upon sandstone rock, and varies in depth 

 and quality in accordance with the surface of the ground. The 

 greater part of it is light sandy moorland, with a mixture of sand 

 and gravel in the subsoil. Several slight valleys occur, which are 

 drained, each valley having at least one drain through it, which 

 also serves to convey the water from the pasture ground higher 

 up. In these valleys the soil is deep, cold, and damp, some 

 parts of it being a mixture of clay and sand, and others nearly 

 pure vegetable mould, or clay and moss void of sand; on the 

 latter description of soil all sorts of trees decayed except spruce, 

 which alone here luxuriates on such soil. 



The fence is a turf dyke with two rails of paling on top. A 

 whin hedge was also sown, which did pretty well for several 

 years, but ultimately disappointed the hopes entertained respect- 

 ing it, having withered and died when a severe frost occurred. 

 The trees were originally planted to the number of 4000 per 

 acre, and were once gone over afterwards, making up the blanks, 

 which did not exceed 10 per cent, upon the number originally 

 planted. 



The plantation, owing to various circumstances, was thinned 

 at different times; one part of it at twelve years planted, another 

 at fifteen years, another at twenty years, and another at twenty- 

 nine years. That portion thinned at the latter age comprised the 



