222 HIGHLAND SOCIETY'S PRIZE ESSAY [Aug. 



HIGRLAND SOCIETY'S PRIZE ESSAY ON 

 ROSS- SHIRE FORESTRY. 



MY attention having been directed to a Eeport on the Woods and 

 Forests of Eoss-shire l)y W. F. Gunn, Nutwood, Strathpetier, 

 and especially to wliere he refers to tlie woods on iSTovar estate, the 

 property of E. C. Munro Ferguson, M.P. for the counties of Eoss and 

 Cromarty, would you kindly allow me, through tlie medium of your 

 journal, to correct some mistakes which occur in the said report ? 



In the first place, INIr. Gunn says that the acreage under wood on 

 Novar estate is nearly 2000 acres. The actual acreage under wood 

 exceeds 4000 acres. 



Then he notices a wood behind the village of Evanton, namely 

 Evanton Wood, which he says has been all sold, and that about 

 80 acres have been entirely cleared. 



This wood contains 1 72*1 5 3 acres, composed of Scots fir and 

 larch as a principal crop, and is in some parts mixed with beech, 

 oak, elm, ash, and spruce. About 35 acres were sold as a clean cut 

 where the crop was principally larch, pretty much affected with 

 what is known locally as Roy, a fair thinning being taken off the 

 remainder, as the crop was very thick. 



]\Ir. Gunn then goes on to say that along the sea-shore at Newton 

 there are large- sized beech, oak, elm, and birch. Where he found 

 these large trees I am at a loss to understand, as the only large trees 

 there are ash and sycamore, also a fine clump of holly — one ash here 

 measuring 12 feet in circumference, at 3 feet from the Gfround. 

 There is also here a belt of young thriving Avood, composed of ash, 

 larch, fir, spruce, elm, sycamore, oak, and alder. Some of the 

 hollies above mentioned measure 5 feet 10 inches in circum- 

 ference, at 3 feet from the ground. 



According to Mr. Gunn, Novar House stands among a few 

 ornamental trees and some more hardwoods. It would thus appear 

 that he does not consider as ornamental such common trees as fine old 

 larches, Scots firs, limes, common and purple beeches, elms, oaks, 

 walnuts, Spanish chestnuts, sycamores, birches, and poplars. The 

 few ornamental trees which have taken JMr. Gunn's taste are cedars, 

 Wellingtonias, Picca ^pinsajjo, Ahics Mcnzicsii, Cryptomaria Zohhii. 

 These are of no great size, but give promise of becoming very 

 good specimens. I will here give the measurements of a 

 few of the trees that are not considered ornamental by Mr. 

 Gunn. I first take a larch that stands within a few yards of my 

 own house, and within GO yards of ISTovar House, v/hich measures 

 11 feet 10 inches in circumference at 3 feet from tlie ground, 

 lias a clean straight trunk to the first branches of 50 feet, and 



