IRISH GARDENING. 



The Avondale Forestry 

 Station. 



By A. C. Forbes. 



APART from the forestrj- work carried out at 

 Avondale since its acquisition by the Depart- 

 ment of .Agriculture, the estate is of historic 

 interest to those interested in arboriculture In the 

 latter half of the eighteenth century Avondale was in the 

 possession of the Hayes family, a prominent member of 

 which was one Samuel Hayes, M.R.I. A., the author of 

 a treatise on " Planting and the Management of Wood-^ 

 and Coppices," dedicated to the Dublin Society in 1794. 

 Kvidences of Hayes' work may still be seen in many of 

 the trees at .Avondale to day, consisting of such species 

 as silver firs, Turke\' oaks, planes, Spanish chestnuts, 

 &c., while the old beeches and other trees near the 

 mansion date from about his time. 



The Hayes's were succeeded b}- the Parnell family 

 early in the nineteenth centur)-, and Avondale remained 

 in their possession until 1903, and in the following year 

 was purchased by the Department of Agriculture for 

 converting into a forestry station and school. 



The present estate consists of about 350 acres of 

 land lying along the west bank of the Avonmorc, which 

 has cut for itself a deep bed through metamorphosed 

 schist and slate. The banks of this river were appar- 

 ently always more or less wooded, and are still covered 

 in places with oak scrub, mixed with holly, hazel and 

 other indigenous species of little commercial value, but 

 extremely picturesque and characteristic of the district. 

 The lajing out of the estate as a forestry or, 

 more strictly speaking, acclimitisation station was 

 commenced in the winter of 1904-5 by the removal of 

 old fences and hedges, the clearing of part of the old 

 woodland, and the re-planting or planting of a few- 

 acres below Avondale House. This work was the pre- 

 liminary to the planting of the forest plots, pinetum, 

 and aboretum, which are now the chief features of the 

 station, the object in view being that of combining the 

 planting of these with a forestry school for working 

 foresters and woodmen. 



Records of the growth of the plots will be made from 

 time to time, and to facilitate this work as far as 

 possible the majority of the plots have been given an 

 area of exactly one acre. The ground was first divided 

 into sections, their size and positions varying according 

 to the species for which they v.ere intended. Each 

 section contains a number of species belonging 10 the 

 same natural order or genus, so far as this arrange- 

 ment was practicable, as shown in the following list of 

 sections : — Maples (Acer) ; Elms ( i'lmiis) ; Beech, Chest- 

 nut and Hornbeam {Cupuliferae) \ Oaks [CupuUferae] ; 

 Silver Fir (Abies) \ Spruce (Picea) \ Pines (Piiiiis); 

 Larches (Larix) ; Poplars and Willows (Salicaccae) ; 

 Ashes (Fraxinus) ; Chestnut Coppice ; Locust Tree 

 Coppice ; Douglas Firs (Pseudo-Tsiiga) ; Hemlock 

 Spruces (Tsuga) ; Cypresses and Junipers; Thuias, 

 Sequoias, and Cryptomeria ; Hickories, Walnut, Planes, 

 Tulip Tree ; Cedars, &c. , &c. 



In the principal plots about 60 species have been 

 planted, chiefly in mixture with larch, spruce, Scots 



pine and silver fir, the first named being the standard 

 narse in use for " hardwoods " or broad-leaved trees. 



Amongst European species may be mentioned the 

 following : -Broad-leaved English and U'ych elms, 

 sycamore, Norway maple, sossile and pedunculata oaks, 

 and the Hungarian species, /. cunferta. Several acres 

 are also under ash, b'.rch, hornburn, Spanish chestnut, 

 &c. All the above may be said to be doing well, 

 although the chestnut has suffered severely from late 

 frosts. 



Amongst European conifers are the pines, P. sylveslris, 

 Lariciu, maritiiiia., Austriaca, the common spruce and 

 silver fir, and Abies cephalonica and A. nordnnmniana. 

 Of these silver fir is cut back by spring frost almost 

 annually, but when once established above the frost line 

 will probably do well. European larches are repre- 

 sented by plants from Tyrolese, Scotch, Silesian and 

 Irish seed, but so far little difference can be noted 

 between them. 



The most interesting plots in course of time will pro- 

 bably be those planted with American and Japanese 

 species, although few of them are likely to attain large 

 dimensions. Of American species of broad-leaved trees 

 the following are being tried : - Vhniis atnericana^ Acer 

 dasvcarpum, A. saccharintim, and A. macrophylluni, 

 Ouerciis rubra, I. paliis/ris, Liriudendron tulipifera 

 Betula papvrifera, lenta, lutea-, ulmifvlta, p 'puUfolia, 

 &c. , Carva alba, purcina and aniara, Juglans nigra, and 

 others. Judging by specimen trees in other parts of 

 Ireland none of the above is likely to attain a large 

 size. 



Of the American conifers several are very promising, 

 especially Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, Thuia gigantea, 

 Ctipressus macrocarpa, and C. Lawsoniana, Sequoia 

 semperviretis and 5. gigantea, Abies grandis, &c., the 

 two first named giving every indication of proving 

 valuable timber species. 



Amongst Japanese species, few have been tried be- 

 yond larch — Cryptomeria and Zelkova Keaki. It is doubt- 

 ful whether any of them will prove of great economic 

 value, as even the most promising oi them, Larix 

 leptolepis, requires more time to test the encomiums 

 that have been bestowed upon it by optimists. 



Species from .-Vfrica, India, Australia, &c., are repre- 

 sented by Cedrus utlantica, C. deudora, Piniis excelsa, 

 Picea morinda. Eucalyptus Gunnii, Coccifera, rirnigera, 

 &c. Of these last it is hoped to find one which will be 

 capable of surviving a severe winter. Species planted 

 individually, or in small clumps in the arboretum and 

 ■ piretum, are too numerous to mention, but fully 200 

 species of one kind or another are represented, in 

 addition to a large number of shrubs. 



In the nursery many untried species are being raised 

 with the idea of ultimately planting them out in corners 

 and spots not already occupied. Many of these species 

 will also be tried on a small scale in the various woods 

 now being acquired b\- the Department in different 

 parts of Ireland in which soils and situations of varying 

 character will be found. 



.At the present time little can be said as regards the 

 success or failure of the species tried. Judging from 

 specimens in the neighbourhood, or in Ireland generally, 

 however, it is probable that the West .American trees, 

 such as Douglas fir, Silka spruce, &c., will do well. 



