Plantations and Home Nurseries Competition, 1911. 203 



Lord Cadogan's recently formed coniferous plantations 

 occupied fourth place in this important class. These are 

 growing surprisingly well upon soil of the poorest description 

 — sand with a chalk subsoil. The excellent growth may 

 partly be due to the thorough cultivation of the soil, which is 

 ploughed to a depth of from 16 to 18 in. with the forest 

 plough used by Mr. Hankins, head forester on the estate. 

 The fault in regard to this plantation is its extremely 

 mixed character. Although intended for a conifer plantation, 

 and established upon soil suital)le only for conifers, hardwoods 

 of many sorts occur to the extent of one-third, while the coni- 

 fers also are mixed indiscriminately. It was impossible to 

 give an award under these circumstances, although the planting 

 operations had been carefully and skilfully carried out. 



Unsuccessful competitors included the Earl of Albemarle, 

 whose wood was too irregular, Sir Ailwyn Fellowes, and Mr. 

 Kenneth M. Clark, whose plantations had been over-thinned. 



Class IV. — " Plantation mainly of conifers 5 to 30 years 

 old, restricted to landowners with less than 300 acres of 

 woodland." 



Only one award could be made in this class, viz., to Major 

 Montgomerie, Garboldisham, two other entries being from 

 the Northrepps Estate and Old Buckenham, where the woods 

 had not been economically managed. Major Montgomerie's 

 conifer plantation contained a number of trees which ought to 

 have been removed, such as diseased larch, dead Scots pine, 

 and over-dominant individuals, but future thinnings may 

 remedy this defect to some extent. As it is, the plantation is 

 too dense, but the close canopy has acted well in the production 

 of long poles, free from side branches. 



The plantation at Northrepps is composed largely of silver 

 firs, very badly attacked by aphis, and a mixture of Scots pine, 

 larch, sycamore, oak, poplar, &c., widely separated from each 

 other, and therefore coarse, liranchy, and almost useless from 

 a timber point of view, but of some value for shelter. On the 

 Old Buckenham property the plantation contained even a larger 

 assortment of species, and may meet the requirements of game 

 preservation, but it has certainly not been formed with any 

 silvicultural object. The expense of planting in both of the 

 above cases seems to have been excessive. 



Class V. — " For the best example of the conversion of an 

 unprofital)le wood, over 10 acres in extent, into a thrifty 

 condition, of which a clear history must be given." 



There were five entries from landowners seeking to improve 

 existing plantations by the removal of the worst trees, and the 



