17G IMPROVEMENT OF WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. [Jan. 



out so long as the turning-mill is in operation. It will, after that is 

 removed, be valueless where it stands. A few groups of this tree 

 on dry well-chosen sites may be profitably left to diversify the land- 

 scape. A few thick clumps of birch and pine may give the ground 

 a park-like appearance. Plantation No. 8 is situated on the 

 northern slopes of the Wyesdale hills, and consists chiefly of Scotch 

 pine, intermixed with a few larches, all seemingly of 54 years' 

 standing, occupying the drier slopes, ridges, and knolls of the district. 

 Wet fiats and hollows intervene, on wliich there is no crop. This 

 plantation should be gradually cleared out, as a large part of it is 

 losing value at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum on its present 

 worth. The underwood, etc., here of the fellings should at this 

 station be burned on the land, whicli should remain fallow for five 

 years. After open draining, pine and larcli should then be planted, 

 the former 15 feet apart, to stand as the permanent one, and the 

 latter 5 feet over all, to be gradually removed as thinnings. In 

 plantation No. 9, from the Green Bank Road westward over the hill 

 of Bree to Star Bank Eoad, are Scotch pine and larch, mostly of con- 

 siderable age. The greater part of the crop is approaching maturity, 

 and will certainly have attained its full value in five years. It 

 should then be forthwitli disposed of. After being thinned in 1884, 

 it should be allowed to stand till the spring of 1889, when say 

 one-fifth of the whole, being then thoroughly matured, should ]je 

 disposed of, and so on in 1889-90, till all of it is disposed in 1893. 

 The underwood and branches of the cleared crop should be left on it. 

 The land should lie for five years ere being replanted, draining of 

 most of it having been gone about a year previous to this. All the 

 land except the summit of tlie liills should be planted with pine and 

 larch. 



The Home Policy plantations should be gone about witliiu tlie 

 next two years. Wire fences will liave to be erected to protect the 

 young woods from destruction by cattle. The otlier districts, Nos. 

 7, S, and 9, are to be more leisurely gone about. 



The autlior estimates that if the plantations on this estate were 

 treated as lie proposes, tliere would during the next ten years accrue 

 from tliinnings and clearings proposed about £4600, or, on an 

 average, £460 a year. The present value of the crops of these wood- 

 lands is in round numbers £6400, and were thinnings only sold 

 they would bring about £240. 



About Ourselves. — Amongst the several continued papers of 

 this numl^er, two — tliose by Dr. Brown and Mr. Weljster respecti\'ely 

 — will run through several issues till completed, forming indeed 

 valuable separate volumes, given in addition to our usual matter. 



