THE TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL EXCURSION. 303 



been planted during the last two years, while it is proposed to 

 plant 95 acres during the next season (1903-4), and to eventually 

 bring the whole area planted up to between 400 and 500 acres. 



The plantations made in 1902-3 were first inspected. 



No. 1 Plantation consisted of about 1 3 acres, part of which was 

 planted with two year-old oak seedlings, and part with ash seedlings, 

 of the same age, which were raised from the seed in the home 

 nursery. It was considered unadvisable to sow the seed in the 

 plantation itself, as the groiind was somewhat infected with mice 

 and other vermin, which would probably have destroyed it. The 

 ash in this plantation appeared to be very thriving, but the oak 

 looked somewhat sickly, and some of the company were of opinion 

 that the soil was too light, in this part, for raising the best 

 quality of oak. The plants were in lines 4 feet apart and 3 feet 

 in the lines. The ground growth, or herbage, was annually cleared 

 with the sickle, at a cost of 8s. per acre. 



No. 2 Plantation comprised 35 acres of hardwoods, with larch 

 and spruce mixed as follows : — Ash 50 per cent., oak 25 per 

 cent., larch 12|^ per cent., spruce 12|^ per cent., planted at 

 4 feet apart in lines. 



No. 3 Plantation consisted of nine acres of Scots fir, two years two 

 years, planted in lines 3| feet apart and 3 feet in the lines. These 

 plants were reared from two years' seedlings in the home nursery. 



No. 4 consisted of 30 acres of Scots fir, two years one year, 

 planted in lines 3| feet apart and 3 feet in the lines. In this 

 case the ground growth or herbage was cleared away about 

 1 foot on each side of the lines, while the centre was left intact, 

 evidently with the purpose of providing shelter for the plants, 

 and, at the same time, preventing them becoming choked. All 

 the plants in these plots were pitted in, the pitting being done by 

 contract at the rate of 8s. per 1000 for the Scots fir and 12s. 6d. 

 per 1000 for the hardwoods. The planting was done by the day. 



The planting done in 1901-2 consisted of five plots. The 

 first contained 90 acres, of which 70 were under Scots fir, and 

 20 under spruce, all pitted. Three of the plots consisted of 

 1 acre each, in which 4000 Scots pine plants, obtained from 

 different nurserymen, had been inserted by the L system of 

 notching, and the fifth of H acre pitted in with Corsican pine 

 from the home nursery. 



With reference to the first plot, it was stated that 300,000 

 plants were put in originally, and that only about 3000 had 



