180 Plantations and Home Nurseries Competition, 1914. 



the plants with a spade. The cost per acre is given at 5/. 17s., 

 and the filling in of failures through damage caused by rabbits 

 is stated to have amounted to as much as 2Z. per acre. The 

 trees have now reached an average height of 33 ft., with an 

 average girth of 12 in., and are a nice healthy crop of straight, 

 clean stems. It is intended to underplant this wood with 

 beech in order to preserve the fertility of the soil, and it is 

 thought that even if the undercrop does not prove valuable as 

 timber, the present crop will be considerably improved hy the 

 introduction of the soil improving species. While this, of 

 course, cannot be disputed, it is doubtful if beech is the best 

 species to use at this stage as an undercrop. The ash is now 

 20 years old, which, given, say, an 80 years' rotation, leaves 

 only 60 years for the beech if the two species were cut away 

 together. Douglas fir, on the other hand, which promises 

 exceedingly well in this part of the country, where there is 

 shelter and a fair rainfall, if introduced 10 to 15 years hence, 

 would in 50 years form a valuable crop, in addition to 

 maintaining soil fertility. The beech would have probably 

 been better planted in groups or strips at the same time as the 

 ash. This wood was awarded a first prize. 



Class VI. Hardwoods as Final Crop, as before, but 

 the stage that between the first and second thinning. The first 

 prize was awarded to a plantation known as " Caethygley," 

 on the estate of Mr. Humphries-Owen. The wood extends to 

 30 acres, and is situated on a steep slope, with a north to north- 

 east aspect. The altitude ranges from 450 to 700 ft., and the 

 soil is a light loam on clay. The plantation was formed 

 39 years ago on practically waste land, covered with gorse, and 

 the species selected for planting were oak, ash, sycamore and 

 sweet chestnut, mixed with larch. The age of the plants used 

 was l-year-2-years, the spacing being 4 ft. by 4 ft. The 

 method of planting, which has much to recommend it, was 

 that general on the estate, namely, the holing and preparation 

 of the ground by means of a mattock. The cost of formation 

 is put at 5/. 10s. per acre, while the cost of cleaning was 10s. 

 per acre per annum for 4 years. 



The trees are now 50 to 60 ft. high, and the girths 

 average — 



Sweet chestnut . . . . . -14 in. 



Oak 24 „ 



Ash 22 „ 



Sycamore ...... 32 ,, 



Chestnut appears to grow exceedingly well here, and it is 

 stated to be free from shakes, w^hile the price realised is quoted 

 at Is. per cubic foot. 



