NOTES AND QUERIES. 19 
when the growth of those standing among beech, which un- 
doubtedly escaped the attack, is seen to be an exception to the 
remainder in regard to ring breadth in that year. 
With the beech somewhat similar results are seen, the minima 
prevailing in ’94, and the maxima in 795. While the breadth of 
the summer zone increases with the breadth of the ring in the 
oak, the wood rings in the beech show little relation between 
breadth and summer wood zone, and resemble the conifers a good 
deal in this respect. In those trees (beech) growing with a thick 
humus layer, 793 appears to have produced the greatest quantity 
of summer wood ; but in no tree in this lot does it coincide with 
the maximum ring breadth. In three out of these five the 
maximum was produced in 93, and the mivimum occurred in 
Lot VIilTa. in four trees in 96. 
Although the limited number of trees examined precludes any 
definite conclusions being arrived at from the above facts, yet 
they enable us to gain some insight into the effect of different 
seasons upon the same and different species of tree. In Scots 
pine and larch the fact is pretty clearly demonstrated that the 
effect of any one season upon the breadth of the wood-ring and 
the development of summer wood is greatly determined by the 
nature and condition of the soil. Comparing the two dry seasons 
93 and ’96, it is seen that the former produced the maximum 
growth in ten out of twenty Scots pines on deep sandy soil, while 
the minimum occurred in exactly the same number in’96. In 
the larch on the loam, ’94 gave the majority of maxima in breadth 
and summer wood, and ’96 the majority of minima. In the larch 
on sandy soil, ‘93 again comes out favourably, ’96 unfavourably. 
The great difference in the results of these two seasons can only be 
accounted for by the fact that soil moisture was sufficient in ’93 
(on all but the thin soil in which Lot III. grows) and deficient in 
96, owing to the rainfall of the previous winter. 
With the hardwoods the dry spring of 95 appears most con- 
ducive to growth, and the damp summer of ’94 least so, probably 
owing to increased power of assimilation and higher soil tempera- 
ture in the former, and the reverse of these conditions in the 
latter year. 
A. C. Forses, Wood Manager, Bowood, Calne, Wiltshire. 
