THE PLANTATIONS ON THE PENRHYN ESTATE, NORTH WALES. 165 



VII. The Plantations on the Penrhyn Estate, North Wales. By 

 Angus D. Webster, Forester, Penrhyn Castle, North Wales. 



The estate, containing the plantations which form the subject 

 of this report, occupies the almost entire northern part of the 

 County of Carnarvon. 



Lying for the greater part of its length along the shores of the 

 Irish Sea, and being well backed up by a range of mountains 

 which are among the loftiest in Britain, the climate, as might be 

 expected, is on the whole mild and humid, and well suited for 

 the cultivation of timber trees. 



The soil is, generally speaking, a sandy loam, of fair quality, 

 but stiff though fertile clays, as well as peat and alluvial deposit, 

 occur in considerable quantities in various places over the estate. 

 Although the low ground from the seashore to the base of the 

 mountains is rich, well sheltered, and the climate extremely mild, 

 thus fitting it for the growth of most of the trees and shrubs that 

 can be grown out of doors in Britain, still amongst the hills the 

 weather is usually wild and stormy, the winds from the south- 

 west telling severely on most trees growing at high altitudes. 

 Useful timber is, however, grown to fully 1000 feet above sea- 

 level ; and with care and judgment in planting suitable trees, 

 especially around the margins of the woods, good timber might 

 be produced at even a greater altitude. f 



As we purpose describing the geological formation in conjunc- 

 tion with each plantation or plantations, as the case may be, it is 

 here unnecessary to offer further remark, than that along the 

 coast there is a narrow strip of carboniferous limestone and within 

 this the Old Red Sandstone ; while inwards to the foot of the 

 mountains the flat ground is occupied by argillaceous schists. 

 The rocks which form the mountain range are composed of 

 schistose hornblende, granite, and porphyry. 



For convenience sake, and as many of the plantations are of 

 small acreage and lying in close proximity to each other, we 

 have found it better, so as to be as concise as possible, to include 

 several in one, the natural conditions of soil, altitude, and aspect 

 wan-anting such a course of procedure. 



No. 1 is a mixed plantation, 98 acres in extent, situated on the 

 northern flank of an abruptly rising hill, and at elevations ranging 

 from 750 feet to 1020 feet above sea-level. The soil throughout 

 is a free, sandy, rich loam, save in one corner where it is wholly 



