1884.] FACTS ABOUT PLANTING ON MOORS. 99 



The first thinning occurred when the trees had been planted 

 eight years ; growth had been very various, according to soil and 

 shelter, but the trees on the lowest section were touching. Thin- 

 ning here was commenced, those trees Ijeing removed which were 

 most drawn up and had fewest branches, and this was more 

 especially attended to on the nortli side, which, it should be 

 remarked, was exposed to the sea about a mile distant. After 

 this portion was thinned the whole plantation was carefully gone 

 over, the main leaders relieved, and all heavy laterals of the hard- 

 woods foreshortened, so as to j^romote upward growth. At eleven 

 years tlie second thinning occurred, growth in the interval having 

 been very considerable ; thus in the lower section, fir trees had 

 increased 3 ft. 6 in. and hardwoods 2 ft. 6 in. in height. The thin- 

 nings in this case were of some value for sheep net stakes and for 

 repairs of fences and fuel wood. It is sufficient for our purpose to 

 notice that subsequent thinnings occurred at sixteen, twenty-two, 

 twenty-six, thirty, and forty-five years ; at the end of that period 

 the number of trees had been reduced from 568,010 originallj' 

 l^lanted to 14,350. The value of the thinnings sold and used on 

 the property amounted to a net sum, after deducting aU expenses, 

 including dragging or hauling out of tlie wood, of £9169, 19s. 5d. 

 The value of the main crop was estimated at 5s. Id. per tree, 

 amounting to a total of £3647, Os. 8d., making a total value for 

 the plantation at forty-five years of age of £12,817, 6s. Id., which 

 equals £62, 10s. 5d. an acre to pay for original outlay and rental 

 xalue — a truly profitable result on land which was probably of 

 very little value for any purpose. If we assume that the planting 

 and fencing cost £5 an acre, which it could under the circum- 

 stances hardly exceed, the cost was cleared by the fourth thinning 

 at twenty-two years' growth. No doubt this is an exceptionally 

 favourable instance of profitable planting, indicated by the fact 

 that, out of more than half a million trees, only 1005 were 

 estimated as dead, whereas it often happens that from 5 to 10 

 per cent, die in the first year, and have to be renewed at some 

 additional cost. 



With reference to growing our own timber, a writer in 

 the Farmer's Gazette says : — AYe cannot grow profitably all 

 kinds of timber in this country any more than we can rear 

 all kinds of animals or grow all kinds of grain, but there are 

 some kinds which can he grown at home vastly superior in 

 many respects to what are grown abroad ; such, for example, 

 as the Scotch pine, larch, and some kinds of hardwoods. If 

 any one is at all sceptical in regard to this, I would advise him 

 to visit the pine forests of Deeside, Stratlispey, and some of the 



