194 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



fair degree of mineral strength. The clays and loams of the 

 Upper Greensand and the Gault yield forest soils well adapted 

 for the growth of the best classes of hardwoods, while the sands 

 of the Lower Greensand are characteristically pine soils, though 

 larch, and sometimes oak, ash, sycamore, and other hardwoods 

 thrive well on the better portions, which are fresh or moist. 



Climate. — The animal rainfall averages about 34 or 35 inches, 

 though the last few years have shown some deficiency. During 

 recent years the climate has been drier than formerly, although 

 the area is situated within about 22 miles of the southern sea- 

 coast of England. The summer heat is considerable, and in 

 winter there is often severe cold. Late frosts are rather frequent 

 in spring. 



Area of the Woods. — Of the total estate area of about 2000 

 acres, nearly 400 acres are under forest. But of the latter only 

 300| acres are actually stocked with timber in the copsewoods 

 and the recent plantations. This area will, however, most likely 

 soon be added to from time to time by the planting up of land 

 going out of arable cultivation. 



Boundaries. — Fences of posts and wire-netting are maintained 

 around all plantations till about their tenth year, on account of 

 rabbits. The copses and plantations, after removal of the wire- 

 netting, are kept fenced with posts and wires in order to prevent 

 trespass by cattle. The maintenance of all the fences in proper 

 condition involves a large amount of supervision and repair by the 

 woodmen, and adds in no small measure to the expenditure annually 

 incurred on the timber crops. 



Composition and Condition of the Timber Crops. — An enumera- 

 tion of the various woods and plantations will be found in the 

 Summary and in the Field Book appended to the Report. The 

 copses are irregular in composition both with regard to standard 

 trees and to their distribution, and also as to the underwood and 

 its density. The standards are mostly of oak, varying from 2 to 

 7 feet in girth, and often with enormous branching crowns, and of 

 ash of somewhat inferior growth, all scattered irregularly over the 

 areas. In some places they stand too thick, while in others 

 standards are wanting. The bulk of the coppice consists of 

 hazel, together with oak, ash, birch, willow, aspen, and in some 

 falls chestnut and a little beech and sycamore. 



The copses, growing as they do on rich loamy clays and clayey 

 loams belonging to the Gault and the Upper Greensand, should 



