72 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of the young trees. Elsewhere they are doing well, except in the 

 N. part, along the edge of Contullich Belt, where the plants are 

 kept down by rabbits. They also suffer slightly from weevil. — 

 Unstocked Portion. A few Scots fir standards still left ; ground 

 covered with debris from former crop. About one-half of the 

 area is covered with dense brackens, but many natural seedlings 

 are springing up near the old wood. 



Treatment. — Of the old crop, the larch should be removed as 

 soon as possible, but the Scots fir may stand for a time. Their 

 removal should be conducted with a view to natural regeneration. 

 A belt of trees should be allowed to stand as long as possible on 

 the S.W. margin, as a protection to Black Park against wind. 

 Injury to the young wood by rabbits should be put a stop to, 

 and where vacancies occur, the crop should be kept steadily filled 

 up. The bare ground should be stocked like the young wood. 

 The permanent shelter-belt already commenced on the S.E. side 

 should be completed. 



No. 11. — Black Park. 



Old Conifers, .... 4 5 000 Acres. 



Young Conifers, .... 111-882 ,, 

 Unstocked, ..... 45-500 ,, 



Total, . . . 202-382 „ 



Conditions op Locality.— Elevation, 200 to 500 feet ; gentle 

 S.W. slope. Soil, generally speaking, good, deep loam, with 

 shallow and hard portions on the higher ground. Lower ground 

 wet, though recently drained. Exposed to N.E. and S.W. winds. 



Crop. — Old Wood. Age, 91 years. Scots fir and larch with a 

 few hardwoods. Estimated crop, 100 trees, of 20 cubic feet each, 

 to the acre. Larch mostly " royed " ; Scots fir very fine, but has 

 been damaged by squirrels, and turns out knotty when cut up. 

 One acre has been under-planted with beech, silver fir, spruce 

 and Douglas fir. There are some dense patches of brackens ; 

 but where the ground is not thus encumbered, a promising natural 

 growth has sprung up since the wood was closed two years ago. 

 — Young Wood. Age, 1 year. A few hardwood standards still 

 remain. 101 '882 acres in the upper part have been stocked with 

 Scots fir on the drier and shallower soil, and with larch where the 

 soil is deeper. Four acres in the lower part were this year stocked 

 with spruce and a few larch. An area of 5 acres was set apart in 

 1897 for experiments ; it is stocked as follows : — 1 Acre. Larch, 

 half pitted, half notched, at 20 feet apart ; the intervals filled up 

 with notched Scots fir, 1 Acre. Larch as above, but filled up with 

 spruce instead of with Scots fir. 1 Acre. A mixture of larch, 

 beech, silver fir and spruce — all pitted. 1 Acre. A mixture of 

 larch and spruce — all notched (spruce to kill the bracken). 1 Acre. 

 Beech, silver fir, spruce and Douglas fir — all pitted. 1 Acre. 

 Larch, pitted at 5 feet intervals. — Unstocked Area. Debris from 

 former crop covers most of it. A few hardwood standards remain. 

 Large areas are covered with dense brackens. 



Treatment. — The old wood should be felled as soon as possible ; 

 and the ground should be planted up with Scots fir, mixed with a 

 few larch. Vacancies in the young wood should be steadily filled 



