192 Plantations and Home Nurseries Competition, 1914. 



Another entry in this class was a plantation of pure Douglas 

 fir, which was looking very promising, but the cost of formation 

 was given at nearly 17/. per acre, and this, it was felt, was 

 sufficient to justify the Judges in withholding an award, though 

 they did so with regret. 



Class XL For the Best Managed Woodland 

 Estate, not less than 1,000 acres in area, the Judges to take 

 into account the production of timber, ornamental planting, 

 planting for sporting purposes, and improvement of residential 

 amenities and proper management of hedgerow timber. 



This class produced no fewer than ten entries, and the 

 Judges have pleasure in recording that in all cases the wood- 

 lands were being worked on a more or less definite scheme or 

 system. On several of the areas good work was being done, 

 and much care and thought was being exhibited in the 

 management, but there was only one entry, that of Mr. J. 

 Murray Naylor, of Leighton Hall, where it could be said that 

 the woodlands had reached the final and complete stage of 

 systematic management, and this was awarded the first prize. 



The woods on the property extend to 1,000 acres, being for 

 the most part on steep, hilly ground, situated at an altitude of 

 400 to 1,300 ft. The soil generally is heavy loam and clay, and 

 the average rainfall is 35 in. 



The rotation has been provisionally fixed at about 80 years, 

 which means that about 12 acres are taken in hand annually, 

 and the working plan shows that at this rate of progress the 

 older woods, which are more or less in a series of age classes, 

 will be cleared by the time the younger woods have reached 

 the aged fixed in the scheme. The system is to clear, cut, and 

 replant each section dealt with, the work proceedirig from 

 several centres. Conifers chiefly are being depended on for 

 the work of replanting, but in the more recently stocked 

 sections a percentage of beech is being added, which should 

 prove of great service in strengthening the crop against damage 

 by wind. 



In one wood at 850 ft. elevation a plot of western larch, 

 pure, about 1 acre in extent was seen. The trees were raised 

 from seed sent by Dr. Henry, and were planted out two years 

 ago as 3-year8-old plants, the distance apart being 5 ft. These 

 are looking vigorous and promising, the average height is 4 ft., 

 while many of the individual trees are over 6 ft., and had made 

 growths last year up to 21 in. 



A section of 23 acres, known as the " Roundabout," was the 

 best plantation of its age seen in the competition. The elevation 

 ranges from 700 to 900 ft., and the aspect generally is due west. 

 The species here are larch and beech on the higher ground, 

 pure Japanese larch* next, with Douglas fir also pure at the 



