388 REPORT ON LARCH FORESTS. 



moor-pan, or in consequence of neglect of thinning at first till 

 too late for the trees to regain clue proportions. 



If asked by what means the most profitable crop of larch 

 might be grown upon an estate Mke Darnaway, with soil, situa- 

 tion, exposure, &c, similar, the answer would be — Plant small 

 plants, say two-year seedlings, one year transplanted, at 6 feet 

 apart, or, if exposed to much vermin (as rabbits), plant at 3 feet 

 apart ; and when the trees are from 2 feet to 3 feet high thin 

 out one-half, and continue thinning so as the lower branches 

 may be preserved vital, till the crop is reduced to 300 trees per 

 acre. The crop to be cut and cleared when the usual signs of 

 maturity make their appearance. 



All clays to be planted with oak and ash, rich spots of dry 

 dark loam with elm, flat sand and moss with Norway spruce, 

 bare barren peaks with Scots pine, and the remainder with larch. 



Another excellent estate for larch in the same neighbourhood 

 is Altyre. There the soil, situation, &c, being much the same as 

 on Darnaway, no description is required. The larch plantations 

 on Altyre estate are worthy of particular notice, both on account 

 of their extent, condition of growth, and general importance. 

 The woods comprise about 6000 acres, a large extent of which is 

 composed of larch. The surface of the ground is diversified and 

 irregular; part of it is flat, and parts at every degree of inclination. 

 On some parts, especially the sloping banks, there is larch of 

 surpassing perfection, and trees approaching magnificence. On 

 the flat ground, extending backwards from the tops of the banks, 

 larch in some places refuses to grow at all. The soil, both on 

 the slope and plain, is alike. Whence, then, the difference in 

 point of growth ? It may be explained thus : — On the sloping- 

 ground, from the position of the particles constituting the soil 

 being different from that of the flat ground, they being more loose 

 and open, admit the roots more freely than where they are firmly 

 compressed on all sides, as is the case on the flat ground. 



On examining the roots of trees differently grown as above, it 

 is found that in the case of compact gravelly soil the roots are 

 crooked, twisted, and often so compressed as to stop circulation 

 of the sap. On the other hand, on loose open soil the roots are 

 comparatively straight, more fleshy, and less compressed. The 

 effects of hard compact gravel are twofold. First, an obstruction 

 to the roots, and a means of corrupting the fluids to the entire 

 stoppage of the sap ; and second, by the extreme difficulty of the 

 roots elongating their spongioles in search of food, the trees are 

 consequently improperly nourished. 



Along the base of the precipitous banks, where the ground is as 

 flat as on the top, larches are growing in a very superior way, 

 better even than those upon the incline. The latter circumstance 

 is explained by the soil upon which they grow having crumbled 



