90 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTI'RAL SOCIETY. 



No. 60. — Blackrock Corner. 

 Young Conifers, 1*500 Acres. 



Conditions of Locality. — Elevation, 480 to 500 feet ; old 

 cultivation, sloping gently to the S. Light and shallow soil. 



Crop. — Age, 11 years. Scots fir and larch with a few spruce, 

 growing well ; larch generally well above the Scots fir. Larch, 

 even the largest, much injured by rabbits ; this no doubt induces 

 disease, which is already present. 



Treatment.— Cut out diseased lai*ch and keep down rabbits. 



No. 61. — Assynt Hill. 



Young Conifers, — Larch, . . 137-666 Acres. 

 Scots Fir, . . 110-000 „ 



Total . . . 247-666 



Conditions of Locality. — Elevation, 500 to 1030 feet ; steep to 

 gentle S. slope. Soil, good strong loam, of fair depth in lower 

 parts, thin and hard on higher ground. Upper portion much 

 exposed to N. winds. 



Crop.— Age, 15 years. The Larch, which has been planted in 

 the S.E. portion, up to an altitude of 900 feet, is very much 

 diseased, especially on the W., from which side it appears to be 

 advancing eastwards. The crop has suffered very much from 

 rabbits, hares and roe-deer. In 1898, a thinning was commenced 

 by removing the worst of the diseased trees ; and the experiment 

 was tried in 1899 of under-planting portions of the thinned and 

 also of the unthinned crop with silver fir. There is, in places, a 

 very dense growth of whins and brackens among the young trees. 

 The Scots fir is, for the most part, doing well ; but squirrels have 

 begun to attack the trees in the lower portion, and the crop is 

 stunted from exposure near the top. A belt along the upper 

 margin should be treated as a permanent shelter-belt. 



Treatment. — The cutting out of diseased larch should be con- 

 tinued, and as the future of silver fir is uncertain, under-stock- 

 ing, partly by planting and partly by sowing, should be done 

 also with beech, spruce and Douglas fir. Sweet-chestnut might 

 also be tried. 



No. 62. — Inchcholtair. 



Old Conifers, — Scots Fir, . . 55*396 Acres. 



Larch, . . . 5-000 



Unstocked, 40-000 ,, 



Total . . . 100-396 



Conditions of Locality.— Elevation, 490 to 1030 feet; generally 

 rather steep slope to S.W. Soil, sandy, on clay which is almost 

 on the surface on the W. side ; higher up, rocky, with more gentle 

 slope. Drainage defective in parts of the old woods. Suffered 

 severely from S.W. winds. Outside the line of wire netting. 

 Open to grazing. 



