THE PLANTATIONS ON THE PENRHYN ESTATE, NORTH WALES. 177 



Scots and spruce firs, along with a few birch, oak, and alder. 

 The drainage not being satisfactory, renewed efforts to drain the 

 ground are now beginning to have effect, and the greater portion 

 of it is now in a passable condition, and fairly suited for the 

 successful cultivation of a crop of timber. In one corner of the 

 wood where the soil was a nice kindly loam and not too damp, 

 the first planted trees have thriven in a satisfactory manner, the 

 average height being about 15 feet, bushy in proportion, and the 

 Scots fir with fine glaucous green foliage. Pinus Laricio has 

 also done well, and is of equal height with the Scots firs. 



No. 28 was planted so as to afford shelter to a mountain village 

 at nearly 1000 feet altitude. It is a long narrow strip, running 

 parallel to the main road of the village, and consists of larch, 

 Scots and spruce firs, as also a very considerable number of birch, 

 sycamore, elm, and oak. Being fully exposed to the south-west, 

 and the soil a poor, thin gravel, with a thin surface coating of peat, 

 the trees have not grown fast, and although nearly thirty years 

 planted, have not attained to a greater height than 18 feet. 

 Thinning of the wood has taken place only twice, but the trees 

 are by no means di-awn up or weak, and are generally bushy and 

 well-formed, especially the Scots fir. When thinned eight years 

 ago many of the wind-shoi-n larches were removed, so that when 

 viewed from a distance the plantation has the appearance of being 

 composed wholly of pines. 



No. 29 consists principally of ornamental plantations within 

 the park, and extends to fully 300 acres. The soil in most parts 

 is a free kindly loam, which is remarkably well suited for the 

 growth of trees, the newer conifers in particular ; and is at vary- 

 ing altitudes from sea-level up to about 100 feet. 



The trees are, generally, of large size and well grown, and have 

 been planted within the last sixty years, although many of the 

 older trees, particularly the fine oaks around the mansion, must be 

 fully two hundred years of age. The newer conifers have all been 

 planted during the past forty-five years, and many of these, 

 especially the Douglas firs, Coi'sican pines, Araucarias, and Cedars, 

 have attained to large dimensions. The Douglas fir, which is 

 more abundant than any of the other conifers, and numbers 

 several hundreds, has been planted in a great variety of soils ; but 

 that in which it succeeds best is a well-drained alluvial deposit 

 resting on gravel, and where partial shelter is afforded. 



Many of these are from 60 feet to 70 feet in height, and with 

 stems girthing at 3 feet up from 10 feet to 16 feet. The timber 



VOL. XII., PART I. M 



