30 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



not occupy the ground to advantage. They are, for the most part, 

 unlikely to improve sufficiently to warrant their being left standing 

 longer than necessary, though selected trees may remain as standards, 

 to be subsequently under-planted with shade-bearing species, where 

 they stand at all densely. The area closed to grazing is 20 acres. 

 In Dail Gheal Belt there is a very satisfactory natural undergrowth 

 of beech from one to fifteen years old. 



2. THE YOUNGER WOODS. 



The stock of the younger woods is composed as follows : — 



(a) Conifers. 



Acres. Acres. 



Scots fir and larch, in more or less equal proportions, 



with, frequently, a small admixture of spruce, . 759 

 Scots fir and larch, in which spruce, silver fir and 



Douglas fir are more strongly represented, . . 261 



1020 



Scots fir, in 175 acres of which larch occurs in small 



proportion, 526 



Larch, 195 



Spruce, with a few larch, ...... 4 



Douglas fir, pure, or mixed with larch, silver fir, 



Scots fir and hardwoods, ..... 10 



Larch, spruce, Douglas fir, Scots fir and hardwoods ; 



ahout half the area mixed by single trees and 



the remainder by groups, 43 



Miscellaneous mixtures of conifers and hardwoods, . 5 



Experimental area, ....... 6 



Old nursery, ........ 4 



— 10 



Total. . 1813 



A glance at the above statement shows that the principal tree in 

 these woods is the Scots fir, larch occurring either as a pure crop 

 or mixed with the Scots fir in varying proportions. Spruce, silver 

 fir and Douglas fir are found for the most part in mixture with Scots 

 fir and larch ; but in a comparatively small area only has the error 

 been committed of mixing numerous species together on the same 

 ground. The age of these plantations ranges from one to nineteen 

 years. As a general rule they are progressing satisfactorily, and 

 examples have been given above of really phenomenal development. 

 In places, however, the crops suffer damage by ground game, from 

 deficient drainage or other causes ; and most of the young crops of 

 pure larch are suffering more or less from cancer. 



