THE ISLAND OF ARRAN AS A FIELD FOR PLANTING. 347 
well. Larch is the principal tree, and the wood is in a very 
healthy condition, there being many of the trees over 50 feet in 
height. Ash grows well in the lower parts of this wood. 
Besides the foregoing, there are numerous small patches of wood 
at Lagg, Sannox, Machrie, Whitefarlane, and other parts of the 
island, and an examination of these, together with those I have 
mentioned, would fully convince the most sceptical of the adapt- 
ability of the island for the growth of timber trees. 
To plant to the greatest advantage, a careful choice and 
arrangement of trees would have to be made, for those best suited 
for one part of the island might not suit another part with a 
different exposure. The most difficult part of the island to deal 
with would be the southern portion, for, as I have already said, 
this section is more exposed to the fierce Atlantic storms than is 
the northern part. Round the shores of the south there are 
arable and pasture farms, but at a short distance inland the land 
is lying waste, or very nearly so, and could be easily made to 
grow timber. Shelter-belts could be raised round the outside and 
in exposed places, and with the protection of these many valuable 
kinds of trees could be raised. These shelter-belts should consist 
of the following trees and shrubs, in the order given :—1st, outside, 
a belt of sea buckthorn, about 3 yards deep; 2nd, a belt of elder, 
about 3 yards. Inside of these there should be a belt of sycamore 
with beech still farther inland. These trees would grow in any 
exposure in this arrangement, and within these the pines and 
future timber trees might safely be planted. This method of 
raising shelter would require to be practised all over the island, 
but more particularly in the south. Many of the more sheltered 
glens, however, could be planted without any preliminary treat- 
ment of this kind, and would grow excellent timber. Glenrosa, 
for instance, has only been partly planted, and the trees have 
grown exceedingly well. There is also a large part of Glen- 
sherrig still uncovered with wood, which might well be planted 
without any shelter, and many other places could easily be 
seeded. 
Judging by the trees now growing in the island, the best kinds 
to plant are larch, silver fir, Scots pine, spruce, and such decidu- 
ous trees as ash, beech, sycamore, etc. A mixture of these would 
generally be the best,—but in some parts the larch thrives so well 
that it seeds and grows spontaneously, and as it is one of the 
trees best adapted for Arran, and also one of the most profitable 
