THE JAPANESE LARCH. 45 
* 
the highest trees in the cover were about 18 feet 6 inches high, 
and, these being now ten years old, that gave an average yearly 
growth of a foot and a little over ten inches. The average 
height of the trees in the cover was 15 feet, which gave an 
average yearly growth of 1 foot 6 inches. It appeared to him 
that the rate of growth was accelerated during the last two or 
three years, because in 1903 some of the trees were exhibited by 
Mr Barr, of Messrs Kennedy & Co., at the Highland and Agri- 
cultural Society’s show in Dumfries, and at that time, after seven 
years’ growth, the average height of the cover was 10 feet. 
Since then most of the trees in the cover had grown 5 feet, so 
that the rate of growth had been accelerated by about 4 or 5 
inches per annum. 
Captain Walker said he had had experience with the 
Japanese Larch, and thought them very risky indeed. If there 
was a rabbit within half a mile it would eat them. That was a 
great drawback. Another thing he found was that in high 
ground they would not stand early morning frost. They must 
be saved from the early morning frost, or else, in his experience, 
they invariably lost their tops. 
Copsze Woops. By Mr WELLWoop MaAxwWELL. 
Mr Maxwell prefaced his paper on “ Copse Woods ”’«by some 
explanations as to the growth of Japanese Larch at Kirkennan. 
I happened, he said, to be in Japan a little over twenty years 
ago, and sent home a packet of seed to my father. It was sown 
in 1885. About fifty of them came up; most of them are at 
Munches, and I have three of them at Kirkennan. Unfortunately, 
one or two rabbits had been left “within half a mile,’’ and 
destroyed the rest. The highest one I have, which was sown in 
1885, is now 45 feet high, and the girth, breast high, is 25 
inches. I have two others 25 feet high, and off one of these I 
have brought a sample of cones, the first I have seen on 
Japanese Larch in this country, and there is also a sample from 
the ordinary Larch for comparison. 
There is perhaps a greater area of copse wood in this country 
than any other class of wood, and in no class has there been a 
greater fall in value. These woods were mostly managed on a 
rotation of 20 to 25 years, and used to yield a very fair return, 
