194 Plantations and Home Nurseries Competition, 1914. 



woods lie at altitudes ranging from 400 to 1,300 ft., and the 

 average annual rainfall of the district is about 34 in. 



The land lying at the lower altitudes is being stocked with 

 the idea of having hardwoods as the final crop, while the higher 

 ground is being planted almost entirely with conifers. 



On the Wroxeter portion of the property two very fine 

 young larch woods were seen. The first, known as "White 

 Cottage Plantation," is 21 years old, and extends to 46 acres. 

 There are now on an average .532 stems per acre, having an 

 average height of 30 ft. and girth at 6 ft. of 16 in. In addition 

 to the larch, there are 93 other trees per acre, mainly hard- 

 woods, present in the crop. This is a very promising wood, 

 which should ultimately yield a large amount of valuable 

 timber. 



" May Plantation," 20 years old, was also found to be a very 

 fine wood. It is 20 acres in extent, and the crop is practically 

 pure larch, which number 720 stems per acre. The height is 

 from 25 to 30 ft., and the average girth 14 ins. There are 110 

 hardwoods per acre mixed with the larch. 



" Jubilee Plantation," on the Cressage Estate, is similar to 

 the former, but the stems here number 890 per acre, and the 

 wood was formed in 1888. The trees are 30 to 35 ft. high, and 

 have an average girth of 14 ins. The elevation here is 360 ft., 

 and the situation fairly flat. 



In all these woods the treatment has been the same, namely, 

 the removal only of diseased and suppressed trees. As the 

 canopy is now becoming broken to some extent, and the surface 

 inclined to grow grass and weeds, it is proposed to remove a 

 certain number of stems, taking all weakly and badly grown 

 trees, and to underplant the whole with a shade bearing species. 

 This is to be done in plots, each of a certain area, the species 

 selected for the undercrop being beech, Douglas fir, Lawson 

 cypress, and Thuja gigantea. As the plantations are excep- 

 tionally good for pure larch at this age, they will prove more 

 and more interesting in the coui'se of time as experimental plots. 



Underplanting can be done here without any additional 

 expenditure being incurred for fencing. The forester has the 

 control of the rabbit catchers, and consequently rabbits are 

 anything but numerous in the woods. 



The older woods in some places are carrying valuable crops 

 of timber, for instance, the mature section of larch at the foot 

 of The Wrekin, and hei-e also are evidences of very careful 

 attention. The ditches are kept in capital order, which is 

 important in many of the woods growing on heavy soils and on 

 flat situations. 



The hedgerow timber is in excellent order and greatly adds 

 to the amenities of some parts of the estates. 



